9

Developing a Diverse Workforce

Katherine Faber, California Institute of Technology, introduced the workshop’s final session on developing a diverse workforce. Speakers included Naresh Thadhani, professor and chair of the School of Materials Science and Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology; Damon Dozier, director of government affairs, Materials Research Society (MRS); and Admiral Michael Mullen, former head of the United States Navy and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Following each speaker’s remarks, Susan Sinnott, professor and department head of materials science and engineering at Pennsylvania State University, moderated a short Q&A session.

DEVELOPING A DIVERSE WORKFORCE: NUMBERS, ENVIRONMENT, AND PARTNERSHIPS

Naresh Thadhani, Georgia Institute of Technology

As centers of learning, discovery, and community-building, academic institutions have a responsibility to build and foster diversity. Yet at Georgia Tech, women and minorities are underrepresented among students and faculty—despite being located in Atlanta, where the majority of the population are racial and ethnic minorities. Thadhani outlined several actions Georgia Tech and his school are taking to address this disconnect, which is not unique to Georgia Tech alone.

First, the university is implementing intentional, transparent diversity recruitment. This strategy is increasing the number of female professors, but Thadhani

argued that it must be applied to recruitment of underrepresented minorities in faculty ranks and graduate student applications as well. Second, universities must publicly commit to creating an inclusive, supportive culture. For example, Georgia Tech made a public values statement to foster an environment conducive to difficult conversations, enabling the administration at every level to identify and create needed social support programs. Third, the School of Materials Science and Engineering, like other units at Georgia Tech, recently started a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) council to identify issues and develop strategies that enhance the critical feeling of belonging, while identifying best practices for deliberate recruitment. In addition, a collaboration of students, staff, and faculty is working to raise awareness of, and crush, sexual harassment of any form across the university.

Looking outside of its academic environment, Georgia Tech is building both a sense of belonging and a diverse talent pipeline through its peer-to-peer maker-spaces such as the Materials Innovation and Learning Laboratory, partnerships with professional societies, and collaborations with national laboratories and industry. For these relationships to be successful, Thadhani said that corporations that want a diverse workforce must also commit resources and share best practices that help universities be the centers for cultivating and fostering diversity.

Closing, Thadhani reiterated that these efforts are needed to build a strong, diverse student and workforce pipeline that will thrive in industry, academic institutions, and government laboratories. He added that COVID-19 has disproportionately affected underrepresented groups, which makes this work both more difficult and more important, underscoring the need to use this realization and leverage collective efforts to create an inclusive environment and develop a diverse workforce.

Q&A Discussion

In response to a question, Thadhani suggested that government agencies and national laboratories can increase their diversity by increasing their appeal to prospective workers. Potential strategies include making their internships and fellowships more prestigious and emphasizing how materials science and engineering fits into their unique, cutting-edge missions. Thadhani also noted that Georgia Tech’s diversity recruitment during COVID-19 has pivoted to webinars, podcasts, and an extended network of students and ambassadors selling the program one-on-one, which has been an effective strategy for translating the passion the field inspires.

Thadhani said that the main barriers to increasing student diversity in materials science and engineering are the relative obscurity of the field and its failure to advertise to underrepresented communities. To increase visibility and reach diverse communities more effectively, he suggested Georgia Tech should do more to engage historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and corporations in

the Atlanta area as collaborators on diversity initiatives. International students also represent diversity opportunities that could be leveraged, he said, although he noted that COVID-19 and the political environment has left many international students feeling more stressed and isolated and has reduced important support structures.

DIVERSITY AT MATERIALS RESEARCH SOCIETY: A MODEL FOR ENGAGEMENT

Damon Dozier, Materials Research Society

MRS is an international society of more than 14,000 materials science researchers and students. Its goal is to provide support for scientists throughout their entire careers, from undergraduate to eventual retirement. Dozier spoke about the importance of diversity and inclusion to the field and described ways MRS supports DEI as one of its core values. By positioning DEI on par with the organization’s other core values (technical excellence, visionary and dynamic action, and interdisciplinary work), Dozier said MRS places strong emphasis on the belief that diversity drives innovation, vibrancy, and excellence. The field’s leaders, he stressed, should come from all demographics.

Recent MRS diversity actions include partnerships with HBCUs and other minority-serving institutions; programs to increase the number of and support for underrepresented doctoral students in the sciences, especially women; directed publications to broaden membership; collaborations with other societies and universities; programs supporting students from developing countries; student recruitment work with university chapters; member surveys; and issues-based educational webinars.

In a reflection of its emphasis on transparency, MRS also recently issued a public statement expressing support for diversity initiatives and has rigorously examined its own membership demographics. Dozier said that MRS is aware that it needs to improve diversity. Only half of its members are from the United States, making it much more international than other societies, but its U.S. members are largely white and male. To achieve its diversity goals, Dozier said MRS needs scientists at every career level and demographic to volunteer and represent materials science interests at the national level.

Q&A Discussion

Lori Graham-Brady, Johns Hopkins University, asked about the diversity of speakers at MRS conferences. Dozier replied that while the organizing group is usually diverse, there is still a need to engage more diverse speakers and attendees. This lack of speaker diversity is often attributed to well-known pipeline challenges.

However, as at universities, Dozier said that diversity at every level is important, from students, to adjunct faculty, to keynote speakers and administration. Asked if diversity initiatives included disabilities or LGBTQ+ issues, Dozier answered that while it often depends on how people self-identify and the accommodations they request, MRS believes that supporting its members’ needs is part of its egalitarianism and inclusion core value.

Dozier commented that remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic has made it easier for underrepresented groups to participate in MRS meetings. He speculated that virtual events will likely remain common even after the pandemic, which could help to engage more diverse participants in the future. He noted that MRS has also lowered its membership and conference rates.

In response to a question, Dozier noted that MRS helps international students come to the United States by acting as an intermediary with the State Department and helping to navigate education regulations. He said MRS seeks to ensure a smooth flow of students into the field, no matter what country they are from.

Dozier acknowledged an element of competition for members among technical societies but said that organizations try to cooperate where possible, such as creating novel programming with societies where their interests overlap. For example, MRS, The Optical Society, and The Minerals, Metals, and Materials Society together sponsored professional fellowships for diverse students to conduct outreach with legislators.

Dozier suggested that the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) could take steps to address its own diversity challenges by being transparent about the current state of diversity in its workforce, and its hopes for change, in order to start an internal conversation. Second, he suggested DoD should reach out to MRS and other societies to identify promising emerging scholars from diverse backgrounds.

LEADING THE WAY TO DIVERSITY

Admiral Michael Mullen, U.S. Navy (retired)

Mullen spoke about the key role of leadership in ensuring that the country’s demographics are represented at every level of every organization. While the military has made gains in increasing diversity among its ranks, he said that there is still a long way to go to increase Black, female, and Latinx representation at its most senior levels.

Mullen expressed pride for his work to increase diversity in the U.S. Navy and said he was able to have an even broader impact as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He recalled a pivotal meeting at which several HBCU representatives told him that the recruitment pipeline for talent should start in kindergarten, not high school. To engage the future workforce starting in early childhood represents a paradigm shift that requires mentoring programs, learning opportunities,

community events, and most importantly, dedicated leadership to prioritize science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills for workforce and national defense success, he said.

In addition to supporting the youngest learners, Mullen urged organizations to be open to uncomfortable conversations, empathetic listening, and growth. The recent upheavals around issues of social justice make it clear that the United States is still a long way from success. In an example particularly relevant to the U.S. military, several Black West Point graduates recently issued a public letter detailing their struggle to overcome the personal and institutional racism they experienced at the academy and offering proposals for advancing anti-racism.

While much has changed over the years, Mullen asserted that getting a good education is still the best way for young people to create a bright future. If the United States is to come together, instead of growing further apart, he urged that all students must be supported along their entire educational journey, whatever their ultimate career path.

Q&A Discussion

Mullen was asked what the workshop participants, many of whom work in higher education, can do to increase representation among their students. He replied that while not every student will enter the Navy, investment in their education from a young age, while resource-intensive, is good for the country as a whole. He suggested institutions of higher education should use their resources to start initiatives within their communities or local schools that highlight their work and identify and mentor the scientists of the future. He added that industry leadership should listen to underrepresented groups, create mentoring opportunities, support their career paths, and prepare them for promotions. Recruiters should diversify both the makeup and the audiences of their teams, which will lead to a more diverse workforce and a diversity of ideas. Everyone, and especially leaders, should understand that resourcing diversity now creates the diverse workforce of the future, he said.

Asked how the military handles microaggressions, Mullen answered that first, there must be a culture in place that considers them unacceptable; second, there must be an anonymous way to report a microaggression; and third, leadership must be willing to denounce it and punish the perpetrators, or be removed. He stressed that dedicated leaders, willing to make examples of violators, can change a seemingly fixed culture.

Sinnott asked what civilians and parents can do to increase diversity in the military. Mullen replied that parents should be willing to learn from their kids and maintain a rapport with them that stresses competency, tolerance, and non-judgment. In addition, he suggested that well-known and respected civilian leaders can lend their experiences to encourage military leaders to prioritize diversity.

WORKSHOP WRAP-UP

Faber moderated a final session recapping the themes of the workshop by relating the discussions back to key questions posed by DoD.

The first question is how the pandemic will affect DoD’s manufacturing capabilities. Faber noted several negative effects, including logistics logjams, laboratory closures, and workforce gaps. On the positive side, however, many participants noted that long-distance collaborations were either unaffected or strengthened by pandemic-related changes.

The second question is how the pandemic will affect DoD’s workforce needs. Issues raised by speakers and participants include students’ stalled education, challenges posed by remote learning in the K-12 pipeline, declining government emphasis on research and development, and the exacerbation of existing workforce gaps. Positive changes include innovative forms of remote recruiting and onboarding strategies, which serve to broaden the talent pool.

The third question is how to address DoD’s future needs. Speakers highlighted a number of pathways into DoD employment, as well as several curricular adjustments, such as an increased emphasis on computational and data literacy, multidisciplinary learning, and team-based approaches. To continue to attract the best students and faculty from around the world, participants noted that it is critical to support frameworks, equipment, and infrastructure and prioritize recruiting, training, retaining, and career development support. This work is especially crucial now that talented students and workers have attractive options for education and employment beyond the United States. In addition, participants noted that it is important to continue to cultivate a strong and diverse pipeline by investing in rigorous education and skill-building for U.S. students.

Haydn Wadley, University of Virginia, observed that COVID-19 has made it much more challenging for the entire U.S. DoD/industry/academic materials and manufacturing sector to be assured of an adequate supply of talented future workers. He expressed his view that every organization must collaborate on a plan to re-prioritize K-12 STEM education to meet the expanding needs and avoid falling behind other countries in advanced technologies. In addition, a renewed national commitment to prioritizing diversity would address equity issues, strengthen the field, and, pragmatically, enable more people to contribute to the nation’s high-tech workforce needs. Recent disinformation campaigns are sowing division, he continued, and fixing this problem is a matter of not just equity but also national security. Turning to innovation, an area in which the United States has excelled, he noted that China is graduating many more science and technology students and filing many more patents than the United States, creating the groundwork for future intellectual property that could block U.S. technologies and enable China to overtake the United States in innovation. To restore the United States’ global

reputation as the best place to study and innovate will require significant investments to rejuvenate nimble and innovative infrastructure, equipment, faculty, and curricula, Wadley argued.

Ned Thomas, Texas A&M University, noted that pushing STEM creates disharmony at institutions with arts and humanities programs, which compete for internal funding, and also among students and parents who prefer other fields. Angus Rockett, Colorado School of Mines, suggested that despite the “cool” factor of companies like Tesla and SpaceX, STEM has become overly incomprehensible, without an immediate outside threat like the Cold War creating a sense of urgency. Thomas added that industry and government agencies rely too heavily on conventional public affairs scripts, which fail to connect with younger talent. He suggested that they should instead harness the enthusiasm of younger scientists, who in turn would be empowered by outreach work.

Katsuyo Thornton, University of Michigan, suggested communicating with educators about workforce needs in order to foster relationships and collaborations to meet those needs. Thadhani added that academia should learn from organizations that have successfully addressed workforce talent and DEI needs. In addition, he suggested these topics should be an important area of focus for professional societies and major conferences.

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