Subcommittee on Professional Culture & Climate

What is the Professional Culture & Climate Subcommittee (PCCS)?

Read the Charge.

Aim to understand barriers faced by underrepresented communities in planetary science and communicate them to the DPS leadership and broader community.
Annual duties:
- Choose a speaker for a plenary presentation on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) issues at the annual DPS meeting (see previous presentations below)
- After each DPS meeting, review anonymous survey results particularly with regards to EDI and accessibility matters.
- At least one member of our subcommittee serves on the LOC and SOC for the annual DPS meeting to advise on EDI and accessibility issues
- Arrange for yearly implicit bias or other EDI training for the DPS committee, DPS Prize subcommittee, and other DPS groups as requested.
- Submit recommendations to the DPS leadership to increase EDI in our community (see below)
- Present at various meetings, including DPS, on what the committee is working on and/or EDI information of value to the community.
Additional efforts for generation of community/DPS resources are undertaken depending on community needs and subcommittee time availability.

Attend most of the bi-weekly telecons and be responsible for taking detailed write telecon notes approximately twice per year.
Take the lead or co-lead on at least one of the tasks above.
Be aware of and engage in discussions and trainings (within and outside of PCCS) to learn about the varied lived experiences of all members of the planetary community (particularly underrepresented groups) and work to improve the culture and climate of our community.
PCCS Code of Conduct, 2021.

Click on the year to download the PCCS recommendations to the DPS Committee. The DPS Committe responses will be posted in the future.

Adia Harvey Wingfield's talk on how to improve inclusivity: “Behind the Myth of Meritocracy: How STEM Fields Perpetuate Racial and Gender Disparities,” from the 2022 DPS meeting. A recording of the talk can be found here.
Anna Voelker's talk on how to improve accessibility: “Advancing Disability Inclusion in Astronomy and STEM,” from the 2021 DPS meeting. A recording of the talk can be found here.
K. Renee Horton’s talk on supporting underrepresented minorities: “Don’t Silence Our Voice at the Table”, from the 2020 DPS meeting. A recording of the talk can be found here.
Christina Richey’s talk on EDI in Science from the 2018 DPS meeting.
William Smith’s talk on the long-term effects of Racial Microaggressions on people of color in STEM from the 2017 DPS meeting.
Patricia Knezek's talk on unconscious bias from the 2016 DPS meeting.
PCCS position paper on Double Anonymous Reviewing for Planetary Science Journals.
PCCS Reading List