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January 13, 2021 Feature

Get the SciTech Edge: Membership and Diversity Committee News

By Laura Possessky and Charlene C. Goldfield

Diversity drives innovation. Although long substantiated by research, the correlation between increased innovation and diversity recently has received more attention in response to Black Lives Matter protests, the #MeToo movement, and other social justice events highlighting inequities on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, and disability. While SciTech has had a long-standing commitment to diversity and inclusion, this moment is an opportunity to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of our efforts.

SciTech has a unique framework for understanding the value of diversity. Because SciTech’s members represent numerous industries, scientific disciplines, and legal fields, we benefit from vibrant cross-disciplinary discourse in programs, publications, and activities. The collision of ideas frequently encountered at SciTech events is further enhanced by demographic diversity. The recent Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Institutes illustrate these benefits. Disciplinary and demographic diversity on the presentation panels prompted robust discussions about legal implications of new technologies, including impacts of implicit biases in programming and ethics. This diversity was essential for thought-provoking insights to some of the most challenging legal issues of our time.

Even with demonstrated efforts to improve diversity and inclusion, the reality is that much work is left to be done. Despite societal progress, achieving diversity and inclusion in both the scientific and legal professions has proven challenging. A Pew Research study in 2018 noted that while women had greater representation in life sciences, the percentage of women in technology sectors had actually gone down. African American and LatinX workers have been consistently underrepresented in all STEM fields. Only Asian American workers were overrepresented in STEM fields relative to the overall workforce.

A contemporaneous study by the American Bar Association revealed similar trends in the legal profession. Women made up 35% of the legal profession. Lawyers who identify as African American, LatinX, Asian, and other racial groups were all underrepresented relative to the overall workforce, barely representing 15% combined. The 2020 survey reveals these percentages have largely remained consistent over the past three years.

Over the course of the next year, SciTech plans outreach to affinity organizations in both the legal and scientific professions. The goal is to build opportunities for professional development and to support diversity and inclusion efforts in the legal and scientific communities. One of the remarkable attributes of SciTech is its drive for innovation, even in the ways it serves its members.

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By Laura Possessky and Charlene C. Goldfield

Laura Possessky ([email protected]) is a co-chair of SciTech’s Membership and Diversity Committee and assistant general counsel and vice president of Business Affairs at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in Washington, D.C. Charlene C. Goldfield ([email protected]) is a co-chair of SciTech’s Membership and Diversity Committee and Young Lawyer Division’s Liaison for the Cybersecurity Task Force. Charlene currently works as a federal government attorney. Reach out to Laura, Charlene, or staff Section Program Specialist Barbara Mitchell ([email protected]) for more information or with questions.