Image Credit: Suraya Hilmi Hazim in Developments in the study of volcanic and igneous plumbing systems: outstanding problems and new opportunities (Burchardt et al., 2022 – Bulletin of Volcanology).
VIPS is committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion of all peoples. We know that volcanology research is not always representative of all peoples who love volcanoes nor those impacted by volcanoes. We believe that a diverse set of voices and ideas strengthens and advances research and we strive for equal representation and opportunities for all peoples regardless of ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, physical ability, geographic location, physical appearance, and/or socio-economic background.
We understand that historically and presently implicit bias and unequal opportunities make it more difficult for minority groups to achieve success in our field. We do not think this is acceptable and we are actively searching for ways to diversify the field and uplift the research of underrepresented minorities. If you have any suggestions of how to achieve this, please let us know on our social media pages or e-mail us at info@vipscommission.org.
Read our Code of Conduct for Meetings and Events
Read our Guidelines for Organizers
Code of Conduct for Meetings and Events:
Download the code of conduct
The Volcanic and Igneous Plumbing Systems Commission is a subdivision of IAVCEI and thus follows the statutes and by-laws of IAVCEI (https://www.iavceivolcano.org/about-iavcei/statute-and-by-laws.html).
The VIPS commission is a representation of the global volcanology community and thus has a duty and obligation to provide a safe and welcoming environment for members and the public regardless of ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, physical ability, geographic location, career stage, physical appearance, and socioeconomic background. Our code of conduct must be followed during participation of all events and meetings. We expect all participants to uphold the principles of this Code of Conduct and act accordingly
- Inclusion
We welcome and support peoples of all backgrounds and identities, which includes but is not limited to peoples of all ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, political orientations, religions, physical abilities, geographic locations, career stages, ages, physical appearances, and socioeconomic backgrounds. - Behaviour
We aim for an intellectually stimulating and supportive space for all members. Science is made richer by discussion and constructive criticism, but that is no excuse for disrespectful behaviour. We expect all members to adopt a behaviour that is professional, curious, kind, and respectful.
We expect all participants to behave in a safe and responsible manner, to be mindful of how their language and actions are perceived by others, and to treat all spaces and equipment with care and respect. - Harassment and Unacceptable Behaviour
We have a zero-tolerance policy on harassment, inappropriate comments, and criminal offences. Harassment includes sustained disruption of talks or events, any non-consensual touch, sexual attention or innuendos, deliberate intimidation, threats of violence, stalking, and photography or recording of an individual without consent, personal insults, and advocating for any of the above mentioned behaviour. Inappropriate comments include disrespectful or stereotyping comments about ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, physical ability, geographic location, career stage, physical appearance, and socioeconomic background as well as any sexist, racist, and/or exclusionary comments, statements, or jokes. - Academic Misconduct
Academic misconduct includes but is not limited to plagiarism, failure to recognize contribution of others, and fabrication or falsification of research data. It is not acceptable at any VIPS events or meetings. - Breach of the Code of Conduct
Anyone who breaches the code of conduct is expected to immediately stop the inappropriate behaviour. Violations to the code of conduct may result in a verbal warning, removal from the premises without refund and/or banning from future events and meetings.
In the case of an incident occurring outside of a formal meeting or event the aggrieved party or witnesses are encouraged to report it to the one of the Volcanic Igneous Plumbing Systems Commissions committee members. We understand that reporting a traumatic event is difficult, and we are committed to listening fully and compassionately. Once notified the committee member will discuss the details separately with all parties involved before choosing the appropriate next steps. Confidentially of all incidents will be maintained as long as it does not infringe on another party rights.
Equality, Inclusions, and Diversity Suggestions and Guidelines for Organizers
Download guidelines for organizers
We strive to have a more diverse and better represented research community (see also our Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion statement). We believe being conscious of the under-representation is a great first step, but it is not sufficient, and our community needs to be proactive. Thus, we have come up with a list of actionable suggestions and guidelines we ask that all who organize any events, awards, or otherwise to consider.
- Representation in invitations: Whether you are asking someone to be a keynote speaker or a session chair, diversity and representation matters. We should always strive for diversity in selecting keynote speakers or session chairs and avoid a monolith. If you have difficulty finding a diverse set of voices then please consider widening your search in terms of age, career stage (or studies, students are welcome options), or even field of research (which may encourage some interdisciplinary research).
- Nominations: Underrepresented groups of researchers are often at the mercy of a supervisorial role to submit their works for awards. We urge you to consider adding an option for self nominations to any awards you may be offering. We also suggest you consider if there is diversity in your nominations and if not then why? Perhaps this is simply an advertising problem in which case consider advertising to a broader group of people. Also consider if you know any underrepresented peoples who may be appropriate for nominations and encourage a submission from them or their supervisors.
- Abstract Submissions: As in point #2 we suggest you find ways to get submission from a broad audience, perhaps with broader advertising or pointed invitations. Financial barriers can hinder submissions and we suggest you offer some sort of financial support to underrepresented peoples, for example waiving conference fees, paying for travel expenses, and/or community support in terms of accommodations and meals.
- Beginning the pipeline: Support, resources, and mentorship matters in all stages of a career in STEM, starting from a young age. Thus, we suggest that at your event/conference/workshop you offer an outreach program. This could be either as outreach to school children or a mentoring program. If possible, in these types of programs ask under-represented groups to be the facilitators or mentors.
- Gender inclusivity
- Oftentimes while registering for a conference there is a drop-down menu where a participant can state their gender and often this just includes Male and Female option which is exclusionary to those who identify with a different gender. Gender is a spectrum and people can identify as non-binary, trans-man, trans-woman, two-spirit, gender neutral, agender, genderqueer, etc. We suggest you let people type in the gender they identify with and give the option “prefer not say”.
- Pronouns are important part of someone’s identity and just because someone is cis-gender showing does not mean that their pronouns are what you assume. A great way to avoid mis-gendering someone (using the wrong pronouns) is to provide a format where people can post their pronouns if they desire and encourage people to do so. This can be as simple as adding pronouns to e-mail signoffs, to zoom-ids, or to conference badges.
- The elephant in the room: Open discourse about the lack of diversity in the geoscience is a step in the process of making the geosciences more diverse and welcoming. We suggest you provide a platform for this discussion at your events. This could take the shape of a workshop on diversity, a panel discussion (with a diverse set of panelists), or unconscious bias training.