Building an Inclusive AAS - The Critical Role of Diversity and Inclusion
  Training for AAS Council and Astronomy Leadership
  Diversity, equity and inclusion are the science leadership issues of our
time. As our nation and the field of astronomy grow more diverse, we find
ourselves in a position of enormous potential and opportunity: a multitude of
studies show how groups of diverse individuals with differing viewpoints
outperform homogenous groups to find solutions that are more innovative,
creative, and responsive to complex problems, and promote higher-order thinking
amongst the group. Research specifically into publications also shows that
diverse author groups publish in higher quality journals and receive higher
citation rates. As we welcome more diverse individuals into astronomy, we
therefore find ourselves in a position of potential never before seen in the
history of science, with the best minds and most diverse perspectives our field
has ever seen. Despite this enormous growing potential, and the proven power of
diversity, the demographics of our field are not keeping pace with the changing
demographics of the nation, and astronomers of colour, women, LGBT individuals,
people with disabilities, and those with more than one of these identities
still face "chilly" or "hostile" work environments in the sciences. If we are
to fully support all astronomers and students in reaching their full scientific
potential, we must recognize that most of us tend to overestimate our ability
to support our minoritized students and colleagues, that our formal education
system fails to prepare us for working in a multicultural environment, and that
most of us need some kind of training to help us know what we don't know and
fill those gaps in our education. To that end, diversity and inclusion training
for AAS council and leadership, heads of astronomy departments, and faculty
search committees should be a basic requirement throughout our field.
