Women in Coastal Geoscience and Engineering Network’s Experience of Unlearning Racism in Geoscience

Women in Coastal Geoscience and Engineering (WICGE) is an international network of coastal geoscientists and engineers of all genders. It is led by a committee of fourteen female academic researchers all around the world, with a membership base of over 400 individuals. Thirteen members from WICGE participated in the WICGE Unlearning Racism in Geoscience (URGE) Pod, including two committee members. Our pod’s experience of URGE is an example of an international Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion initiative in marine science. Some lessons learnt from the WICGE’s experience of URGE give valuable insights, deepening the community’s knowledge of the effects of racism on the participation and retention of Black, Indigenous, People Of Colour (BIPOC) individuals in Geoscience. Furthermore, the key objectives of URGE to produce policy deliverables which can be implemented at each pod’s home institutions, building a large network of anti-racism initiatives worldwide. Following our URGE pod, WICGE formed a standing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee that will ensure the continuity of anti-racism work in our organization.

This episode of Let’s talk social work podcast by British Association for Social Workers (BASW), made for Pride Month 2021, explores challenges facing British Asian LGBTQIA+ and the ways in which social workers can better support this community. Andy McClenaghan is joined by Siddhi Joshi, founder and chairperson of British Asian LGBTI online support group, Khakan Qureshi, Founder of Finding A Voice and co-administrator of British Asians LGBTI and Narinder Sidhu, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Lead Officer with BASW.

For more information on the issues discussed in the episode, Siddhi and Khakan recommend reading “Unorthodox: LGBT+ Identity and Faith” – fiveleaves.co.uk/product/unorthod…ntity-and-faith/

I have been invited to give a motivational seminar at the Institute of Zoology in London on Thursday 25th February 2021 and its entitled “Stepping stones and stumbling blocks… My experiences of intersectionality in marine science.” Looking forward to it!

UPDATED: Blog post about the seminar and the talk can be found on the Women in coastal blog!

Update 2: Slideshow can be viewed here!

It’s an exciting time as the Seabed Habitats Seminar Series begins on Tuesday at 1300 GMT. This is a series of 12 online talks on various seabed habitats held on zoom on the last Tuesday of each month. Learn more about this and sign up for updates on the Seabed Habitats blog !

This is the time to be slow
Lie low to the wall
Until the bitter weather passes

Try, as best you can, not to let
The wire brush of doubt
Scrape from your heart
All sense of yourself
And your hesitant light.

If you remain generous,
Time will come good;
And you will find your feet
Again on fresh pastures of promise,
Where the air will be kind
And blushed with beginning.

John O’Donohue, “This Is the Time to Be Slow.” From To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings. Penguin Random House, 2008.

Maërl or rhodolith beds are seabed habitats of great conservation significance and can be found in the clear waters of Galway Bay and around Ireland. Whilst doing my PhD at the NUI Galway, I met many maerl researchers- I felt compelled to make this documentary. This is the 15 minute version of the film, with the full hour long documentary available via seabedhabitats.org/2014/12/01/maerldocumentary/

Climate Change as a Human Rights Issue: A Business and Human Rights Perspective

This thesis begins by looking at climate change and the silence on human rights, the key climate change agreements and the need for a business and human rights lens to look at climate change issues in the courts. The subsequent chapter discusses the relationship between climate change and human rights, including the overarching right to a healthy environment; the right to life, right to respect for private and family life as civil and political rights; and the right to health, food, water and sanitation as economic, social and cultural rights. It then looks at the latest climate litigation including cases where public citizens have taken legal action against the state (Netherlands, Pakistan, United States, Columbia, Inuit case and many others); followed by the first wave and second wave of strategic private climate litigation against corporations. It then discusses the key legal principles to consider when looking at climate change issues in the courts and key recommendations for further action, followed by a brief conclusion.

This Thursday, I, Siddhi Joshi, and my sister, Shruti Joshi, took over the Flirt FM Breakfast Show (9am- 11am) with a playlist called “The Revolution Begins at Home.” The goal was to empower, entertain and to educate through music- incredible songs all with the theme of “Revolution”! Don’t miss it! Listen below for the full recording:

The Playlist:

1 Nina Simone – I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free

2 Bob Marley & The Wailers – Redemption Song

3 Jefferson Airplane – Volunteers  

4 Rage Against The Machine: Take The Power Back

5 Manic Street Preachers – If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next

6 Pink Floyd – Song for Palestine

(FlirtFM News)

7 The Cranberries – Zombie

8 Gil Scott Heron – The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

9 Tracy Chapman – Talkin’ About A Revolution  

10 Rage Against The Machine – Wake up

11 Nina Simone – Backlash Blues

12 Bob Dylan – Blowin’ in the Wind  

13 Patti Smith – People Have The Power

14 Peter Gabriel – Biko

15 Jeff Buckley – The Sky is a Landfill

16 Hozier – Nina Cried Power ft. Mavis Staples

17 Ocean Colour Scene – Profit In Peace

18 John Lennon & The Plastic Ono Band – Imagine

19 Give Peace A Chance- The Plastic Ono Band

20 Laal: Utho meri duniya

Sea of Words

Searching for Tethys

Her thoughts carried her like the sea carries a boat

Omnipresent yet unknown

The waves battled

the unspoken ocean of her thoughts.

Gushing bellows of swirling whirlpools

She felt the heavy breeze in her hair;

the salt pierced her face

So fragile were her ideas undiscovered

Confronted with Aura – the breeze became her muse

Deep in conversation

Waves broke out of their amorphous casts

They discussed that land of the past

The last forgotten ocean

Only the Earth had moved as in Gaia’s dream

The changing realm of the abyss

A mystery which remained with her

Looking for clues to uncover these secrets

On her raft she remained

Lost in the sea of words

By Siddhi Joshi

This poem draws on similarities between conversations and the breadth and depth of the sea. As a PhD student studying oceanography, I have been continuously inspired by nature and a large range of natural phenomenon in the sea- of Tethys- the Greek goddess of the sea and her mother Gaia- the goddess of the Earth. Drawing on ideas of scientific discovery, this poem explores the role of conversation in scientific dialogue and this relationship between thought, observation of nature and discovery. I was inspired to write it when reading the book “Vanished Ocean” by Dorrik Stow – a book about the Tethys Ocean and the insights of Greek mythology in the personification of nature and refers to the amorphous casts from Virginia Woolf’s “To the Lighthouse.”

It also draws on my own personal experiences of my journey as a PhD student studying oceanography especially while going on oceanographic expeditions and of subsequent conversations with my supervisor. Although the poem is relatively open-ended, in what the conversation is about- it could be about anything- parallels are drawn between the thought process of scientific discovery; human conversation; conversations with nature; even love…