We’re all about the science, but at the end of the day it’s the process of getting there that defines us. Peek into INSTAAR culture: the day-to-day work in labs, offices, or the field; get-togethers over coffee or lunch; and interactions with our many concentric communities.
Culture and inclusion
We’re committed to being an inclusive, antiracist institute where all INSTAARs are welcome, safe, and can thrive, including those who identify with groups underrepresented in science and academia. We know that while we've taken some steps along that path, we still have a distance to go.
How can we see where we are, and where we're falling down? One helpful marker is the Campus Culture Survey, administered by the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance (OIEC). The Culture Survey measures how people at CU Boulder are experiencing their work environment and community.
We can see from the survey data that most, but not all, people are having positive experiences at CU Boulder; and that more people are having positive experiences within the research institutes than at CU Boulder overall. We also see, however, that more people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, and graduate students experience problematic behaviors and have less of a sense of belonging than people in other groups. Clearly we have work to do as individuals and an institute to create a better environment for everyone. The survey results suggest some concrete ways to make our community more connected and inclusive, and we’ve been working on those over the past few years. For some of the steps we're taking, see Diversity.
