I am pleased to let you know that we have launched a new (tri-campus) EEB Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity Award, which may be awarded annually to an individual or group at any career stage (graduate student, faculty, staff, PDF, undergraduate) that has made a major positive impact on promoting Diversity and Inclusivity in our field; this includes activities within the department, the university, and/or through outreach in the broader community. On an annual basis, we will put out a call for nominations for this award, which will be adjudicated by the Wellness Committee, which has representatives from all of those groups. Winners will receive an honorarium.

I am excited to announce that BREWS (Broadening Representation and Equity with Science), led by Gigi Hoi, Megan Greischar and Nicole Mideo, are the first winners of this award! I wanted to thank BREWS for their outstanding efforts to create an open forum to explore and discuss issues of inclusivity and equity in our department, and to create a space for community-building. BREWS has been an outstanding initiative, which connects what we do as scientists (i.e. study data and interpret evidence) with the goals of broadening and diversifying EEB. Its mission empowers us as ecologists and evolutionary biologists to apply our research skills in tackling complex multi-faceted factors, to make our field more inclusive and diverse. I append below the description of BREWS written by the group themselves.

Thanks to BREWS, and for everyone who has actively participated in its activities over its multi-year history.

All the best,

Stephen Wright
Professor and Canada Research Chair in Population Genomics
Chair, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
University of Toronto

About BREWS:

BREWS​ stands for Broadening Representation and Equity ​With Science.​ Our core idea is that, as scientists, we ecologists and evolutionary biologists are well-suited to disentangling the forces driving complicated patterns of diversity (or lack thereof). The obstacles to recruiting, retaining, and supporting a diverse talent pool in the sciences often seem overwhelming, so BREWS focuses on quantifying the scope of the problem—including where intervention is most helpful—and identifying evidence-based strategies for making departmental life more equitable. To do so, we collate data from the literature, surveys, and other sources, and use it to initiate conversations, motivate specific actions, and define measurable goals that we as a department and individuals can strive to meet.