STEM Equity Achievement (SEA) Change, a project of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), challenges, supports, and recognizes institutions of higher education and their departments/schools for their efforts in taking decisive actions to remove systemic, structural barriers for those who have been marginalized on the basis of gender (including identity and expression), race, ethnicity, disability status, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, age, familial history of higher education, as well as the intersections between these identities, with a clear aim: to enable the full diversity of talented individuals to pursue, persist and succeed in science, technology, engineering, medicine and mathematics (STEMM) higher education (at all levels) and in their careers. In the SEA Change process, inclusion, and its valuable impacts, are measured by the experiences of students and faculty, as well as by data.

The SEA Change Principles can be found here: https://seachange.aaas.org/about/principles.

Program Information

Pilot/Awards
  • We are currently engaging inviting departments to engage in a pilot for the departmental awards. Departments participating in the pilot will do the following:
    • Submit an initial letter of intent to apply for an award
    • Establish a departmental working group with broad representation (if possible) to share responsibility for the award application and obtain departmental buy-in.
    • Complete a self-assessment with the goal of understanding what their current status is regarding diversity and inclusion. The focus will be on all faculty, undergraduates, graduate students, post-docs, and research staff, if applicable. Departments will:
      • Review departmental data and reflect on opportunities and challenges.
      • Identify gaps and areas marked for improvement.
    • Develop a Departmental Action Plan with SMART goals following data review and reflection. In the action plan, departments will:
      • Define specific outcomes that are measurable, achievable, and relevant
      • Define key players/personnel/stakeholders to achieve these outcomes and/or will be impacted
      • Collect data to cover gaps in data that are already available
      • Develop an assessment plan for proposed actions toward achieving the proposed outcomes
      • Develop a timeline for implementing change and ongoing departmental self-reflection
  • A committee will review the application and determine if the department will receive an award.
    • Departmental awards would be valid for 5 years. Departments then must renew in order to continue their status.
    • There will be a panel of application reviewers including academic physicists and others knowledgeable about diversity and inclusion practices.

Partner Organizations’ Responsibilities

  • Assist and provide guidance to departments through the assessment process
  • Facilitate information and resource sharing between department applicants
  • Provide resources (e.g., programmatic resources, funding, expertise, networks, reviewers, etc.) and advice to departments as they develop their SMART plans
  • Review applications and select departmental award recipients

Benefits to Departments

  • Opportunity for departments to reflect deeply on the challenges and opportunities of diversity, equity, and inclusion within their department as well as with other departments participating in the SEA Change Physics and Astronomy project.
  • Solid structure for improving and maintaining departments’ diversity and inclusion efforts
  • Departmental recognition at local and national levels of departments’ award achievement demonstrating their commitment to diversity and inclusion. Examples may include official award logos on websites, recognition at national meetings, and in newsletters, etc.
  • Recognition may be used for recruitment and retention of students and faculty
  • Departments may be able to use these awards and the corresponding departmental improvements to secure funding and additional resources

©2022 American Association of Physics Teachers