Fieldwork is where cultures around physical and psychological safety are created. In the last few years, awareness of discrimination, inside and outside academia, has been growing, with fieldwork being an area where vulnerabilities are amplified. Issues with gender inequality, inclusivity of LGBTQIA+ scientists and students and geopolitical restrictions are even more critical in remote locations, when requiring international travel or overnight stays. Requirements and expectations for fieldwork also presents unique challenges for researchers with caregiving responsibilities.
Some institutions have developed codes of conduct or best practice routines, but these are not yet widely used or discussed. Routines for physical and mental safety in the field are typically developed locally and the responsibility and support structures for development as well as implementation vary widely.
This symposium aims to discuss the roles we as scientists can take in shaping the conversations around fieldwork. We aim to foster a dialogue among researchers sharing their experiences and strategies for coping and continue to raise awareness and highlight the potential actions of researchers at every level to create a safe and inclusive environment in the field. Different aspects to be discussed are 1) Is fieldwork still a core necessity for geoscientists? 2) How can we develop more inclusive field practices and what institutional actions and support mechanisms are needed to create a safer and more inclusive field environment? 3) What do effective practices look like for integrating fieldwork and parenting into future research planning and funding frameworks? 4) Field teaching or fieldwork for research – do we treat the situations differently?
We will use this symposium as a platform aimed to generate community, share experiences and discuss what structures can be put in place, for example through EGU, EU funding programs and research councils to support this.
Speaker topics
Mylène Jacquemart is a physical geographer working in alpine and polar regions. Mylène has developed a training program and resource hub for field researchers in preparation for successful and inclusive field campaigns.
Johanna Kerch is a glaciologist and geophysicist working in alpine and polar environments. Johanna is a founding member of the EGU working group “Parenting” and has convened the widely successful EGU short course “Surviving in Academia as a Parent” for several years.
Robyn Pickering is an isotope geochemist whose research seeks to understand the evolution of the Southern African landscape. Robyn is an advocate for decolonizing geoscience communication and redesigning field training to provide an informative, safe, and fun experience.
Jan Beutel is a Professor of Computer Engineering who researches the high-alpine cryosphere. Jan is also an active mountain guide (IFMGA) and partner in the Swiss Permafrost Monitoring Network (PERMOS), extending this extensive outdoors experience to fieldwork safety concepts.
Anna Pienkowski is an Associate Professor of Arctic palaeoclimatogy at UNIS (The University Centre in Svalbard) and education chair in the Centre of Excellence in Education, iEarth. She is engaged in field teaching and learning in the Arctic and has developed a course in field teaching for teaching assistants.
Florina Roana Schalamon is a PhD student investigating climate drivers of glacier changes in Greenland. Florina is part of a team of women in polar science working on a project to document the experience of women in polar fieldwork and develop strategies to make fieldwork more inclusive.
Martin Zebracki is a Professor of Human Geography and Social Inclusion who is the project lead of the Research England Enhancing Research Culture Inclusive Fieldwork project and the PRIDE project, which recently developed PRIDE guidelines for LGBTQ+ inclusive fieldwork. Martin will be presenting with Robin Hayward, who is also part of the University of Leeds Inclusive Fieldwork Hub.
Speakers
- Mylene Jacquemart, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
- Johanna Kerch, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Germany
- Robyn Pickering, University of Cape Town, South Africa
- Jan Beutel, University of Innsbruck, Austria
- Anna Pienkowski
- Florina Roana Schalamon, University of Graz, Austria
- Martin Zebracki