IRIS/UNAVCO+: JOINING FORCES FOR UNLEARNING RACISM IN GEOSCIENCE

The Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) and UNAVCO joined many universities, departments, agencies, organizations, and companies across the geoscience community in forming a pod to work through the Unlearning Racism in Geoscience (URGE) curriculum together. IRIS and UNAVCO operate the National Science Foundation (NSF) funded SAGE and GAGE facilities that serve the seismology and geodesy communities, which will be combined into a single geophysics facility beginning in 2025. In response to this decision by NSF, the IRIS and UNAVCO consortia are undertaking a merger to form a single entity: EarthScope Consortium, Inc. In preparation for this merger, IRIS and UNAVCO staff formed a united URGE pod to build connections, share resources, and advance progress on anti-racism in the geosciences. Members of the geophysics community who reached out were welcomed into the pod and provided additional perspectives for our community-governed organizations.

The IRIS/UNAVCO+ URGE pod produced deliverables intended for implementation in the new EarthScope Consortium, Inc. Both organizations have internal staff currently examining justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion: the JEDI working group within IRIS and the IDEA committee at UNAVCO. By aiming at our future organization, this IRIS/UNAVCO+ pod could provide forward-leaning draft policies and resources. Here we will share our work so far, lessons learned along the way, and what we plan to do to stay accountable to our commitment to anti-racism actions in our organizations as well as the broader geoscience community.