Woods Hole Diversity Initiative Releases First Update Since 2018 Report | Falmouth Enterprise

By Calli Remillard

Sixteen years after the Woods Hole Diversity Initiative came to be, the six institutions involved in the effort have gotten together to re-sign the initial memorandum of understanding and release a 2021 update on their progress to creating a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable environment in the village, their field, and beyond.

Since the initial signing of the memorandum in 2004 by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Marine Biological Laboratory, NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center, US Geological Survey, Woodwell Climate Research Center, and Sea Education Association, the initiative has been reupped twice, the first of which being in 2012 and now again in 2021.

Robert Thieler, current chairman of the diversity initiative, said that these most recent reflections on its mission and impact are crucial in actually achieving set goals and expanding.

“Having a diverse scientific community is essential,” he said. “It has always been, and it only becomes more so in this century and beyond. There are global challenges that we can only address with strong and broad perspectives and a wide variety of skillsets and representation.”

The full 2021 update can be read online at the Woods Hole Diversity Advisory Committee website.