Information and Programs
Department Resources
Lab and Field DEI
It is important to ensure (1) all researchers working in the field feel safe to conduct their work, and (2) that there is a plan in place to address safety issues when they arise. The resources below are intended to offer guidance when writing a safety plan for your lab, field station, and/or site work.
Rutgers Unlearning Racism in Geoscience (URGE) Laboratory and Fieldwork Safety Plan contains Rutgers-specific resources for encouraging diversity, equity, and inclusion in laboratory and fieldwork settings, reporting resources, and general guidelines for creating a laboratory/fieldwork safety plan. Updated February 2023.
Demery and Pipkin (2021): Safe fieldwork strategies defines at-risk individuals, provides example situations in which a researcher may be put at risk, contains additional resources based on safety, mentorship, and inclusion, and offers guidance and strategies for mitigating risk.
Morales et al. (2020): Promoting inclusion in field experiences explains how field work is often a necessary experience to have in ecological sciences, yet negative experiences in fieldwork can discourage minority and underrepresented individuals from continuing to pursue a career. This paper summarizes challenges for underrepresented groups, and proposes different routes for creating an inclusive field experience.