UK magnetosphere, ionosphere and solar-terrestrial (MIST) awards taskforce: A perspective

Abstract

“We don’t live in a meritocracy, and to pretend that simple hard work will elevate all to success is an exercise in willful ignorance.” (Reni Eddo-Lodge wrote in her book “Why I’m no longer talking to white people about race” (Published by Bloomsbury, London, p. 79, ISBN: PB: 978-1-4088-7)). This echoes through the academic scientific community, and can be readily seen in the demographics of physics prize winners. Prizes are extremely influential in both projecting how a community is outwardly perceived and actively shaping the community through facilitating career advancement. But how can biases in the awards process be addressed? We do not pretend to have all the answers, nor is there a single solution, but in this perspective article we explore one pragmatic approach to tackling chronic underrepresentation in the space sciences when it comes to nominations for awards and prizes.

MAVEN mission perspectives and approaches to inclusion

“…Early exposure and visibility for scientists in the beginning of their careers can have a profound effect on the collaborations, networks, and resources they can seek out to achieve success later on. Walach et al (2022) and Bol et al (2018) discuss this topic, specifically referencing the Matthew effect: "early successes increase future success chances." Bol et al (2018) found that midcareer scientists who had already won a grant accumulated over twice as much funding as their peers who had not won a grant in their early career, even with nearly identical proposal ratings.…”

“…Diversifying mission teams and promoting scientists and engineers from underrepresented backgrounds can be difficult due to challenges in both the recruitment and retention of diverse community members in the field (Walach et al, 2022;Davies et al, 2021). In the following recommendations we shift focus toward retention and improving the professional experience of our community members.…”