SPRING WISRD MAGAZINE, VOL 6, ISSUE 2

allowing for broader connect ions to be made. Though not explored in this study, the benefits of potent ial for one-on-one relat ionships with senior colleagues to be a part of counterspaces seems promising. Exist ing counterspaces, in educat ional inst itut ions and the workplace, such as peer relat ionships, mentor ing relat ionships, and STEM diversity conferences have enabled br idge-building across levels of different ial power as they involved part icipat ion by members at mult iple stages, such as undergraduate, graduate, and faculty. Similar ly, there's already been success and progress seen in campus cultural organizat ions, such women's centers which help facilitate students?social integrat ion by providing a sense of cultural connect ion, a space to develop and express their racial/ethnic or gender ident it ies, and give back to their communit ies by support ing other students like themselves. In the workplace, counterspaces may manifest as mentor ing relat ionships between underrepresented groups and diversity conferences. When establishing new counterspaces, it?s imperat ive that they?re close to STEM's center, because that?s where more stakeholders and members with power can publicly address bias, exclusion and microaggressions, and advocate for underrepresented members. Ult imately, the goal should be to

operate in fully inclusive ways that there is no opportunity for microaggressions and the result ing isolat ion that commonly affect minor it ies at a departmental and inst itut ional level. By reducing reliance on weed-out classes to select scient ists ear ly on, creat ing more inclusive professional norms once researchers enter a field,

and providing and encouraging counterspaces for histor ically

marginalized groups at all inst itut ional levels, diversity in STEM fields can be improved.

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