Northeastern IPM Center Launches "Diversity in IPM" Series

This fall, the Northeastern Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Center is launching a webinar series to highlight and foster diversity in IPM. We have invited presenters from historically marginalized groups to discuss topics related to their research, or to share their perspectives on overcoming barriers and succeeding in their chosen profession.

Although we request that participants register in advance, these webinars are free and open to the public. Visit www.northeastipm.org/ipm-in-action/deij-in-ipm/ for more information or to register. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions in real time, but the presentations will also be recorded and posted on the Center’s YouTube channel.

Why DEIJ?

The Center joins numerous peer and partner organizations in recognizing the active role we can play in championing and advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ).

This follows from a broadening awareness that DEIJ is not an isolated area of advocacy, but rather a foundational component of every endeavor, profession, field, and discipline. When capable people are implicitly or explicitly excluded because of their identities, talent and opportunities go to waste and dreams and goals go unrealized—individually and collectively. A commitment to DEIJ helps both people and organizations fulfill their potential.

Diversity as a Center Priority

The Center has recognized Diversity in IPM as a cross-cutting issue that undergirds everything we do. Our commitment to this philosophy should be reflected throughout the research we fund, the extension work we facilitate, and the communication we coordinate.

The Diversity in IPM webinar series will accomplish this in several ways:

• Overcoming obstacles: Presenters will discuss how their traditionally marginalized identities have shaped the lived experience of becoming and being professionals in IPM and related fields. This includes challenges and barriers but also victories and success stories.
• Visibility and representation: In efforts to overcome marginalization, representation matters. We aim to provide an opportunity for people from historically marginalized groups to see others that look, think, or identify as they do in positions of success and accomplishment in IPM and related fields. In so doing, we hope to encourage aspiring professionals to consider careers in these fields, especially if they might otherwise have been dissuaded for fear that their marginalized identities would made it prohibitively difficult or unrewarding.

This and related initiatives are a work in progress and we welcome collaborators, ideas, and feedback to help them strengthen and grow over time.

Upcoming Webinars and Future Opportunities

The Diversity in IPM initiative will be ongoing and more webinars will be added, but the currently scheduled list is below. For the most up-to-date list or to register for any webinars, visit www.northeastipm.org/ipm-in-action/deij-in-ipm/, which also features links and resources pertaining to DEIJ in IPM and related fields.

We are exploring options for making some live webinars available in both English and Spanish.

If you are interested in presenting another webinar—or in contributing to or participating in this DEIJ initiative in any other way—please contact Jana Hexter, grants and partnerships coordinator, at jh30@cornell.edu.

Currently Scheduled Webinars

Webinars that have already taken place will be available for viewing on the Center’s YouTube channel (youtube.com/@NortheastIPM).

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Expanding the Integrated Weed Management Toolbox: Evaluating IWM Approaches for Maryland and Mid-Atlantic Vegetable Production Systems

September 12: Dwayne Joseph – agriculture and food systems agent for Kent County, Maryland

Current research evaluating integrated weed management (IWM) plans for vegetable production.

Visit neipmc.org/go/cAPk for more information.

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As I Heal, So Does the Land: A Story About Blackness, Conservation, and Healing in America

October 4: Krystal Monique Toney – author and PhD student in environmental science at the University of North Texas

Blackness, conservation, and healing in America.

Visit neipmc.org/go/htPM for more information.

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Utilization of Biologicals and Biofumigation for Effective Management of Soilborne Diseases in Fruits and Vegetables

October 5: Mahfuz Rahman – plant pathologist and extension specialist at West Virginia University

Beneficial microbes, including results from some recent studies on tomatoes, eggplants, okras, and strawberries.

Visit neipmc.org/go/fmRy for more information.

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Cooperative Extension in Indigenous Communities: Experiences of Educators

November 8: Katie Hartmann – adjunct assistant professor, agriculture education and studies department, Iowa State University

How extension educators are creating successful collaborations with Indigenous communities, as well as some of the barriers those communities face, and the systemic structures that can be put into place to support them.

Visit neipmc.org/go/SPEg for more information.

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Non-traditional Areas for IPM Careers and the Associated Challenges for 2SLGBTQIA+ Individuals in Pursuing Them

December 7: Ryan Gott – Fellow, Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania

Fruitful opportunities for IPM in the wide world of green industry careers, and the challenges faced by some members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

Visit neipmc.org/go/DdTk for more information.