SARMAC Committee on Diversity and Inclusion (CoDI)
The science of memory and cognition has enormous potential to improve lives, reshape societies, and right wrongs. But we do that only when we include as many voices as we can. Our field has, like the world in which it operates, suffered from the consequences of exclusion. Some of these problems we inherit from society in general, but that doesn’t mean we can’t try to help redress these problems in our own scientific Society.
One starting point in redressing these problems is to talk about them. That is why we continue to discuss the barriers that limit diversity and inclusivity in our field and look for ways to start knocking them down. At vSARMAC (2021) we were pleased to again collaborate with Women in Cognitive Science, host a second round table on the obstacles our colleagues for whom English is a second language face, and —for the first time—host the SPARK Society for an important discussion of the barriers our colleagues from under-represented racial groups experience. SARMAC is dedicated to encouraging and promoting the very best research in our field; to this end, thoughtful, inclusive discussions and collaborations are vital ingredients for including the best scientists in our field.
With these values in mind the Governing Board struck a standing Committee on Diversity and Inclusion in June 2021 and developed Terms of Reference for the Committee in early 2022. See the ToR below. The Committee will work with the outcomes from the SPARK roundtable at vSARMAC and are happy to receive any proposals from our membership more broadly (such as, ideas for target articles JARMAC might consider; symposia that showcase research or multi-lab collaborations). The Board has also been considering specific initiatives, which will be finalized when our budgetary horizon is clearer.
Members of the Committee on Diversity and Inclusion (CoDI)
The inaugural CoDI was established in July 2022. As per the Terms of Reference, the Committee is comprised of two members of the Governing Board, plus three members of the Society who are not on the Board and who nominate themselves (or are nominated by the Board) and are elected by a majority vote of the Board. One of the three non-Board member positions is reserved for a student or Early-Career Research member (i.e., someone less than 10 years post-PhD).
The current committee consists of the following SARMAC members:
Dr Eva Rubinova (University of Aberdeen, United Kingdom) - CoDI Chair, Governing Board Member 2024-2026
Dr Annelies Vredeveldt (VU Amsterdam, The Netherlands) - Governing Board Member 2023-2025
Dr Tanjeem Azad (Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Canada) - Early-career SARMAC Member 2023-2025
Assoc Prof Helen Paterson (University of Sydney, Australia) - SARMAC Member 2023-2025
Dara Zwemer, University of Utah, US, 2024-2025
The next call for self-nominations for CoDI members will open in Oct 2024. Please note that there will be plenty of opportunities to assist with diversity and inclusion work and implementation, regardless of committee membership. If you would like to help the CoDI directly or have any queries or feedback for the committee, please contact CoDI@sarmac.org
Terms of Reference for Committee on Diversity and Inclusion
Description, membership and function
1. The Board establishes a Diversity and Inclusion standing committee for the Society.
2. The Committee for Diversity and Inclusion (CoDI) comprises two members of the Board—one of whom serves as Chairperson—elected by a majority vote of the Board. Other members of CoDI will consist of 3 members of the Society who are not on the Board and who nominate themselves (or are nominated by the Board) and are elected by a majority vote of the Board, each for a 3- year term, staggered and renewable. One of the 3 non-Board member positions will be reserved for a student or Early-Career Research member (i.e., someone less than 10 years post-PhD).
3. The responsibilities of CoDI will be to make recommendations to the Board about how SARMAC should enhance diversity and inclusion in the following areas:
(a) SARMAC’s governance and strategy—including as these relate to the Society’s conferences, meetings, journals, awards, and Board elections;
(b) fostering and enabling participation in SARMAC’s activities by a diverse and inclusive membership;
(c) encouraging and promoting the very best research in our field, including research conducted with diverse and underrepresented populations, and research explicitly focused on issues of diversity, discrimination, and inclusion;
4. The SARMAC Board of Governors is responsible for approving or disapproving the recommendations made by CoDI, via a simple majority vote.
Approved 13 May, 2022