Sexual Harassment in Higher Ed: How Collaborative Science Can Inform Policy

In 2018, National Academies of Sciences Engineering Medicine (NASEM) published its report on Sexual Harassment in Academia. The report offered recommendations for how bystanders and organizations need to approach this open secret. Through our two featured speakers, this webinar will address the roles scientists can play to advocate for national policy change towards equity in science—and beyond. Jennifer Gomez, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology and the Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute for Child & Family Development, Wayne State University, and Stephen D. Albright, PhD candidate in Physics, Yale University, have both worked in a variety of capacities to prevent sexual harassment and violence. They have taken key actions to build the body of data on which the NASEM report is based and to pass a bill in Congress to combat sexual harassment. This success story illustrates the power of collaboration among scientists to affect necessary change.

In This Webinar, You Will Learn:

• How sexual harassment and violence affects scientific communities
• How scientists can use social science and community experience to advocate for policy
• How scientists can collaborate to be agents for change

Jennifer Gomez, Ph.D.

Jennifer M. Gómez, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology and Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute for Child & Family Development (MPSI) at Wayne State University. She earned her Ph.D. in clinical psychology in 2017 from University of Oregon. She has published over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, scholarly writings, and pieces for the general public. Additionally, she is the lead co-editor of a special issue of Journal of Trauma & Dissociation—Discrimination, Violence, & Healing in Marginalized Communities (anticipated publication date: Spring 2021). She also is a Board Member and Chair of the Research Committee for the Center for Institutional Courage, a non-profit organization dedicated to transforming institutional approaches and responses to trauma and inequality. Her research has been recognized by the National Academy of Sciences and funded by the Ford Foundation Fellowship Programs and Michigan Center for Urban African American Aging Research (MCUAAAR). By focusing on societal inequality’s role on the impact of violence for marginalized youth, young adults, and elders, Dr. Gómez uses her cultural betrayal trauma theory to both document harm and identify avenues of hope and healing for youth, families, communities, institutions, and society. Web: http://jmgomez.org ; Twitter: JenniferMGmez1

Stephen Albright

Stephen Albright is a Ph.D. candidate in physics at Yale University. His work focuses on the synthesis of topological insulator thin films. Beyond his studies, Stephen has worked to improve equity and inclusion in science. He currently serves as a Title IX Fellow in the Provost's Office at Yale, organizing and facilitating bystander intervention workshops to prevent and limit the harms of sexual misconduct in graduate and professional communities. He has partnered with American Physical Society Office of Government Affairs to organize and attend multiple meetings with local Congressional offices to advocate for federal efforts to support diversity and inclusion in science, including the Combating Sexual Harassment in Science Act and the Keep STEM Talent Act. Stephen is a member of the Materials Research Society Member Engagement Committee, which works to improve representation of marginalized groups in materials science.