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Rafiq K, Jordan NR, McNutt JW, Neelo J, Attias N, Boersma D, Palmer MS, Ruesink J, Abrahms B. The value of field research in academia. Science 2024; 384:855-856. [PMID: 38781383 DOI: 10.1126/science.ado6937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Kasim Rafiq
- Centre for Ecosystem Sentinels, Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Botswana Predator Conservation, Wild Entrust, Maun, Botswana
| | - Neil R Jordan
- Botswana Predator Conservation, Wild Entrust, Maun, Botswana
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of BEES, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Taronga Conservation Society Australia, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - J Weldon McNutt
- Botswana Predator Conservation, Wild Entrust, Maun, Botswana
| | - John Neelo
- Botswana Predator Conservation, Wild Entrust, Maun, Botswana
| | - Nina Attias
- Instituto de Conservação de Animais Silvestres. Campo Grande, Brazil
| | - Dee Boersma
- Centre for Ecosystem Sentinels, Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Jennifer Ruesink
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Briana Abrahms
- Centre for Ecosystem Sentinels, Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Botswana Predator Conservation, Wild Entrust, Maun, Botswana
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Cronin MR, Zavaleta ES, Beltran RS, Esparza M, Payne AR, Termini V, Thompson J, Jones MS. Testing the effectiveness of interactive training on sexual harassment and assault in field science. Sci Rep 2024; 14:523. [PMID: 38191560 PMCID: PMC10774269 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-49203-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Fieldwork is a critical tool for scientific research, particularly in applied disciplines. Yet fieldwork is often unsafe, especially for members of historically marginalized groups and people whose presence in scientific spaces threatens traditional hierarchies of power, authority, and legitimacy. Research is needed to identify interventions that prevent sexual harassment and assault from occurring in the first place. We conducted a quasi-experiment assessing the impacts of a 90-min interactive training on field-based staff in a United States state government agency. We hypothesized that the knowledge-based interventions, social modeling, and mastery experiences included in the training would increase participants' sexual harassment and assault prevention knowledge, self-efficacy, behavioural intention, and behaviour after the training compared to a control group of their peers. Treatment-control and pre-post training survey data indicate that the training increased participants' sexual harassment and assault prevention knowledge and prevention self-efficacy, and, to a lesser extent, behavioural intention. These increases persisted several months after the training for knowledge and self-efficacy. While we did not detect differences in the effect of the training for different groups, interestingly, post-hoc tests indicated that women and members of underrepresented racial groups generally scored lower compared to male and white respondents, suggesting that these groups self-assess their own capabilities differently. Finally, participants' likelihood to report incidents increased after the training but institutional reports remained low, emphasizing the importance of efforts to transform reporting systems and develop better methods to measure bystander actions. These results support the utility of a peer-led interactive intervention for improving workplace culture and safety in scientific fieldwork settings. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION: "The stage 1 protocol for this Registered Report was accepted in principle on August 24, 2022. The protocol, as accepted by the journal, can be found at: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.21770165 .
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa R Cronin
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA.
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
| | - Erika S Zavaleta
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
- California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - Roxanne S Beltran
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Melanie Esparza
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Allison R Payne
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Valerie Termini
- California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - Joseph Thompson
- Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Megan S Jones
- U.S. Geological Survey, Oregon Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA.
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Abstract
The mental health of the farming community across industrialised nations has long been a major concern. Using an adapted procedure for a systematic literature review of observational epidemiological studies reporting prevalence (informed by the Joanna Briggs Institute method), this paper reviews peer-reviewed literature that explicitly compares farmer and non-farmer mental health (n = 48). In doing so, it provides a central and accessible evidence base for researchers and practitioners, and simultaneously reveals a stark lack of consensus; specifically, 54.0% of measures deployed to assess farmer mental health determined it to be the same as or even better than non-farming populations. This ambiguity sits in sharp contrast to the unequivocally worrisome farmer suicide statistics. Informed by the literature, the paper discusses potential reasons for this mismatch, including (i) farmers' progression through a different "pathway" to suicide that is not always preceded by mental illness, and (ii) a failure of current methods to accurately gauge the mental health status of farmers. The paper concludes by recommending more research into farmers' "pathway" to suicide, and highlights the need for a dedicated and multi-disciplinary programme of methods research that will afford a more culturally appropriate and effective means of understanding mental health in the farming community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Chiswell
- Francis Close Hall, Countryside and Community Research Institute, University of Gloucestershire, Cheltenham, UK
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Van Puyvelde M, Gijbels D, Van Caelenberg T, Smith N, Bessone L, Buckle-Charlesworth S, Pattyn N. Living on the edge: How to prepare for it? FRONTIERS IN NEUROERGONOMICS 2022; 3:1007774. [PMID: 38235444 PMCID: PMC10790891 DOI: 10.3389/fnrgo.2022.1007774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
Introduction Isolated, confined, and extreme (ICE) environments such as found at Antarctic, Arctic, and other remote research stations are considered space-analogs to study the long duration isolation aspects of operational space mission conditions. Methods We interviewed 24 sojourners that participated in different short/long duration missions in an Antarctic (Concordia, Halley VI, Rothera, Neumayer II) or non-Antarctic (e.g., MDRS, HI-SEAS) station or in polar treks, offering a unique insight based on first-hand information on the nature of demands by ICE-personnel at multiple levels of functioning. We conducted a qualitative thematic analysis to explore how sojourners were trained, prepared, how they experienced the ICE-impact in function of varieties in environment, provided trainings, station-culture, and type of mission. Results The ICE-environment shapes the impact of organizational, interpersonal, and individual working- and living systems, thus influencing the ICE-sojourners' functioning. Moreover, more specific training for operating in these settings would be beneficial. The identified pillars such as sensory deprivation, sleep, fatigue, group dynamics, displacement of negative emotions, gender-issues along with coping strategies such as positivity, salutogenic effects, job dedication and collectivistic thinking confirm previous literature. However, in this work, we applied a systemic perspective, assembling the multiple levels of functioning in ICE-environments. Discussion A systemic approach could serve as a guide to develop future preparatory ICE-training programs, including all the involved parties of the crew system (e.g., family, on-ground crew) with attention for the impact of organization- and station-related subcultures and the risk of unawareness about the impact of poor sleep, fatigue, and isolation on operational safety that may occur on location.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martine Van Puyvelde
- Vital Signs and PERformance Monitoring (VIPER) Research Unit, Life Sciences (LIFE) Department, Royal Military Academy, Brussels, Belgium
- Brain, Body and Cognition (BBC), Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
- Clinical and Lifespan Psychology, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
- School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Faculty of Science, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Daisy Gijbels
- Vital Signs and PERformance Monitoring (VIPER) Research Unit, Life Sciences (LIFE) Department, Royal Military Academy, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Thomas Van Caelenberg
- Vital Signs and PERformance Monitoring (VIPER) Research Unit, Life Sciences (LIFE) Department, Royal Military Academy, Brussels, Belgium
- Human Behavior and Performance Training, European Astronaut Centre, Cologne, Germany
| | - Nathan Smith
- Protective Security and Resilience Centre, Coventry University, Coventry, United Kingdom
| | - Loredana Bessone
- Human Behavior and Performance Training, European Astronaut Centre, Cologne, Germany
| | - Susan Buckle-Charlesworth
- Human Behavior and Performance Training, European Astronaut Centre, Cologne, Germany
- Oxford Human Performance, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| | - Nathalie Pattyn
- Vital Signs and PERformance Monitoring (VIPER) Research Unit, Life Sciences (LIFE) Department, Royal Military Academy, Brussels, Belgium
- Human Physiology and Human Performance Lab (MFYS-BLITS), Human Physiology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
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Mattheis A, Marín-Spiotta E, Nandihalli S, Schneider B, Barnes RT. "Maybe this is just not the place for me:" Gender harassment and discrimination in the geosciences. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0268562. [PMID: 35584104 PMCID: PMC9116675 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0268562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Rampant gender-based harassment and discrimination are recognized problems that negatively impact efforts to diversify science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. We explored the particularities of this phenomenon in the geosciences, via focus groups conducted at STEM professional society meetings, with the goal of informing interventions specific to the discipline. Using grounded theory analysis, two primary drivers for the persistence and perpetuation of gender-based harassment in the geosciences were identified: a particular history of power dynamics and maintenance of dominant stereotypes, and a pattern of ineffective responses to incidents of harassment and discrimination. Informed by intersectional feminist scholarship by women of color that illustrates how efforts to address the underrepresentation of women in STEM without attending to the overlapping impacts of racism, colonialism, ableism, and classism will not succeed, we view harassment and discrimination as structural problems that require collective solutions. Continuing to recruit individuals into a discipline without changing its fundamental nature can tokenize and isolate them or encourage assimilation and acceptance of deep-seated traditions no matter how damaging. It is the responsibility of those in power, and especially those who hold more privileged status due to their social identities, to contribute to the dismantling of current structures that reinforce inequity. By providing explanatory illustrative examples drawn from first-person accounts we aim to humanize the numbers reported in workplace climate surveys, address gaps in knowledge specific to the geosciences, and identify interventions aligned with an intersectional framework that aim to disrupt discriminatory practices endemic to the geosciences and larger STEM community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison Mattheis
- California State University, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | | | - Sunita Nandihalli
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States of America
| | - Blair Schneider
- University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, United States of America
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Figuerola B, Valiente N, Barbosa A, Brasier MJ, Colominas-Ciuró R, Convey P, Liggett D, Fernández-Martínez MA, Gonzalez S, Griffiths HJ, Jawak SD, Merican F, Noll D, Prudencio J, Quaglio F, Pertierra LR. Shifting Perspectives in Polar Research: Global Lessons on the Barriers and Drivers for Securing Academic Careers in Natural Sciences. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.777009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The polar regions provide valuable insights into the functioning of the Earth’s regulating systems. Conducting field research in such harsh and remote environments requires strong international cooperation, extended planning horizons, sizable budgets and long-term investment. Consequently, polar research is particularly vulnerable to societal and economic pressures during periods of austerity. The global financial crisis of 2008, and the ensuing decade of economic slowdown, have already adversely affected polar research, and the current COVID-19 pandemic has added further pressure. In this article we present the outcomes of a community survey that aimed to assess the main barriers and success factors identified by academic researchers at all career stages in response to these global crises. The survey results indicate that the primary barriers faced by polar early and mid-career researchers (EMCRs) act at institutional level, while mitigating factors are developed at individual and group levels. Later career scientists report pressure toward taking early retirement as a means of institutions saving money, reducing both academic leadership and the often unrecognized but vital mentor roles that many play. Gender and social inequalities are also perceived as important barriers. Reorganization of institutional operations and more effective strategies for long-term capacity building and retaining of talent, along with reduction in non-research duties shouldered by EMCRs, would make important contributions toward ensuring continued vitality and innovation in the polar research community.
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Goddard E, Grant R, Tatman L, Baltzly D, de la Barra BL, Black R. Women in Philosophy, Engineering & Theology: Gendered disciplines and projects of critical re-imagination. WOMENS STUDIES INTERNATIONAL FORUM 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.wsif.2021.102479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Nash M, Nielsen H. Gendered Power Relations and Sexual Harassment in Antarctic Science in the Age of #MeToo. AUSTRALIAN FEMINIST STUDIES 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/08164649.2020.1774864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Meredith Nash
- School of Social Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia
| | - Hanne Nielsen
- School of Humanities and Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia
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