APS Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity Alliance

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Find out about events and updates related to work that physicists are doing to advance systemic change at their institutions and in the sciences.

Connect with a Grassroots Network of Physicists

APS-IDEA is a network of scientists, students, faculty, and researchers implementing research-based transformational methods to drive cultural change and center people with marginalized identities in their academic departments and laboratories.

APS supports these teams of physicists through shared communities, online resources, and facilitation assistance to accelerate results. However, with a grassroots model, APS-IDEA teams share leadership across all levels, from students up to faculty.

Applications to join the APS-IDEA network will open in the future.

View participating teams

Guiding Principles

The mission of APS-IDEA is to empower and support physics departments, laboratories, and other organizations to identify and enact strategies for improving equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). It will do so by establishing a community of transformation.

Our vision is that as a result of collective efforts, physics and related fields will become more inclusive of all social identities, with a diversity reflective of the nation, and with an equitable distribution of opportunities and resources.

To achieve this mission and vision, APS-IDEA adheres to the guiding principles of:

centering people whose identities are marginalized
utilizing sensemaking, including creating brave spaces
implementing research-based transformational methods
sharing leadership across levels; from students up to faculty

APS-IDEA networks enacts these guiding principles by:

exchanging ideas, information, and experiences
deepening knowledge of research and effective practices
developing or improving EDI strategic plans
discussing various EDI initiatives and reports from physics and related disciplines
learning about theories of change
planning IDEA’s programs

Learn more about the beginning of the APS-IDEA initiative

APS-IDEA Teams Create Change

At its core, APS-IDEA seeks to empower teams of physicists at all career stages and build their capacity to transform the culture of physics within their organizations and ultimately across the entire profession, through advancing justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) in their places of work and study. Teams are highly engaged and drive cultural change to improve JEDI in their departments.

To support teams in successfully enacting sustainable change in their departments, APS lays out the following team characteristics and examples of APS values in action:

Understanding and Enacting APS-IDEA Guiding Principles

When APS-IDEA team members internalize and act upon the guiding principles, they:

Develop and use norms for shared leadership
Create and use norms for centering marginalized voices
Regularly use sensemaking in discussions
Employ cognitive, cultural or political strategies to foster “second-order” change

Being Well-Positioned to Lead Change

A team that is in a strong position to advance JEDI:

Includes department leaders and influencers
Has direct contact with institutional leaders
Has an explicit role in advising/deciding department activities
Is visible and recognized for its work

Being Well-Connected and Well-Resourced

Successful teams do not work in isolation and have a vast array of resources to draw from as they undertake JEDI work. To build connects and resources, a team:

Actively engages with other APS-IDEA teams to bolster support
Stays in contact with relevant experts at their institution and beyond
Explicitly values JEDI work in department policies and practices
Supports their members' participation through making department funding available for such work

Review more details about APS-IDEA members and teams