COD-IDEAS: Increasing Diversity in Evolutionary Anthropological Sciences
The Committee on Diversity (COD) IDEAS subcommittee tackles the original core mission of the COD: To address underrepresentation of racialized minority scholars in biological anthropology. In 2016, the COD-IDEAS subcommittee launched the Increasing Diversity in Evolutionary Anthropological Sciences (IDEAS) Program. The Program is an NSF-Funded, multi-pronged initiative that addresses training, mentoring, and public outreach. The Program is currently funded through 2027 by an NSF grant to Zaneta Thayer, Susan Antón, and Ripan Malhi.
In a 2018 Yearbook of Physical Anthropology article, IDEAS Committee Chairs published recent demographic data on the Bioanthropological discipline in the U.S., specifically as it relates to representation of minority and underrepresented minority (or racialized minority) scholars, as well as the history of the AABA’s COD and its IDEAS Program.
THE IDEAS PROGRAM
The COD-IDEAS Committee is now hosting TWO annual sets of workshops – one at the annual AABA meetings and the other at a regional location on the U.S.
At the AABAs, the annual IDEAS Workshop typically includes a day-long science and mentoring workshop for undergraduate and graduate students the Wednesday of the AABA meetings, networking events throughout the meeting, and a virtual mentoring network throughout the year.
NEW to the IDEAS Program is a Faculty Scholar component, to provide mentoring to early, mid-, and advanced career Faculty Scholars.
Learn more about the IDEAS Program here.
If you are interested in sponsoring IDEAS Scholars or building satellite workshops in your local area into your Broader Impacts programs, please contact Graciela Cabana (gcabana@utk.edu) or Zaneta Thayer (Zaneta.Marie.Thayer@dartmouth.edu).
IDEAS EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH & RECRUITMENT
- SACNAS: The AABA and IDEAS Faculty sponsor a booth at the SACNAS undergraduate STEM recruiting fair each October. With IDEAS Scholars and Students we disseminate information about biological anthropology and careers in the discipline through this recruitment fair. We are also developing scientific programming for this annual event – please contact Susan Antón or Teresa Wilson if you are interested in participating.
- School Site Visits: In collaboration with the AABA Education Committee, IDEAS Scholars participate in school site visits. Please contact Chrisandra Kufeldt if you are interested in participating in school visits in Los Angeles in 2024!
- IDEAS videos feature conversations with Biological Scientists about their research and path to a career in biological anthropology. The videos are the result of the collaboration between the AABA, the National Science Foundation (NSF)-supported IDEAS Program, and the BOAS Network.
COMMITTEE CHAIRS
Susan Antón
Jada Benn Torres
Graciela Cabana
Agustín Fuentes
Ripan Malhi
Zaneta Thayer