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7 Paths Forward: Recommendations
Pages 112-120

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From page 112...
... Some of these steps are formal, others are informal; some of the evaluation criteria involved in this process are explicit, others are tacit. In order to characterize the current state of diversity in the space sciences, the comparative analysis was made using the available demographic data on teams who have submitted competed mission proposals, on individuals who have submitted proposals to NASA's research and analysis programs, and on the overall space sciences profession.
From page 113...
... committee focused on DEIA misses a unique opportunity to both help set the tone at the top of the Agency as well as ensure ongoing and critical focus on shaping NASA SMD's broadening participation efforts in space missions. RECOMMENDATION 1: NASA should empanel an ongoing NASA Advisory Council (NAC)
From page 114...
... The steps of the NASA AO process for competed mission proposals are governed by detailed regulations, but scrutiny for sources of bias throughout the implementation of the review process is warranted, and the process should also include DEIA as explicit criteria for evaluation. Furthermore, the fact that bias review and DEIA criteria are not currently used in a consistent and systematic fashion, results in limited ability to identify barriers in the mission proposal process, and consequently the specific kinds of interventions that are needed to eliminate them and make progress toward the stated goal of effectively increasing DEIA in the leadership of competed missions.
From page 115...
... Specifically, the inadequate infrastructure for collecting demographic data on teams submitting mission proposals severely limits NASA SMD's ability to accurately determine the relationship between the current mission proposal process, the diversity in the pool of PIs, and the overall workforce in the space sciences. For example, further study is needed to evaluate to what extent variations over time and differences between SMD divisions in the proportion of women among mission PI proposers compared to the proportion of women among doctorate recipients in the physical sciences are due to the mismatch between the career stage distribution of women in these various populations and the current seniority expectation for mission PIs.
From page 116...
... Workforce surveys have recently been included as part of decadal surveys, but to inform NASA and the space sciences community of changes in the workforce, such surveys need to be carried out and the results made public every 3-5 years. RECOMMENDATION 9: To regularly assess the state of the profession, NASA Science Mission Direc torate should provide funding for professional organizations (e.g., American Institute of Physics, Ameri can Astronomical Society, American Geophysical Union, American Physical Society, etc.)
From page 117...
... , where a high concentration of woman physics faculty and Black and Latinx physics faculty are employed, experience inequitable access to opportunities that are helpful to scientists who go on to submit competed mission proposals. Proposal development, preparation, and submission -- including site visits -- are resource-intensive processes, and therefore diversifying the PI population will require investment in a range of institutions, but particularly in less-resourced MSIs.
From page 118...
... However, women and racially minoritized space scientists report less access to mentors and a lower quality of relationship with their doctoral advisors and senior colleagues. Inequitable access to high-quality mentoring relationships is a barrier to increasing diversity in the leadership of competed space missions.
From page 119...
... RECOMMENDATION 14: In order to ensure a vibrant, next generation pool of excellent and diverse talent for leadership in competed space missions, NASA Science Mission Directorate, in collaboration with the Office of STEM Engagement, should provide consistent and adequate funding for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics initiatives that are explicitly centered on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accesibility, address recruitment and retention challenges in the Earth and space sciences, and support and expand opportunities for individuals from underrepresented groups. These investments should reflect a pathways approach spanning the academic and career continuum from post-secondary through post-PhD years in order to establish flexible and robust education-to-career trajectories into the Earth and space sciences workforce, and ultimately into principal investigator–led missions.
From page 120...
... In the meantime, there are several actions that NASA could take, from the immediate clarification of the proposal process to training and mentoring students and early- to mid-career space scientists to intentional, longer-term investments in educational experiences that involve college students in space missions. By stepping up to such initiatives, NASA would not just be following the example of other agencies but instead would be leveraging the great excitement of space exploration to lead the way forward in diversifying the U.S.


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