Making Panels More Inclusive

The Union of Concerned Scientists provides a how-to guide for creating inclusive panels in science and policy conversations. It offers specific advice for organizers to avoid unconscious bias and tokenism, and provides a framework for invited speakers to advocate for diversity, including suggested scripts for requesting more diverse lineups or declining all-White/all-male panels.

• Organizers are encouraged to mitigate barriers to participation for marginalized groups by providing financial assistance for travel, registration, and hotels, as well as offering honoraria to compensate speakers whose expertise has been historically undervalued.
• To avoid tokenism, organizers should not expect women, LGBTQ+, or BIPOC speakers to represent their entire demographic group; instead, all panelists should be capable of discussing diversity, equity, and inclusion as they relate to the panel's topic.
• Individuals invited to panels are advised to inquire about the racial, ethnic, and gender makeup of the group and, depending on their relative power, may recommend BIPOC speakers, condition their participation on diversification, or publicly acknowledge the lack of diversity during their remarks.
• The guide suggests that inclusivity begins with design, recommending that organizers develop the scope and choice of panelists jointly with community groups, scientists of color, or those directly affected by the topic to ensure the terms of participation are not set solely by the organizer's own perspective.

APA

Dahl, K., Goldman, G., Licker, R., McNally, J., & Velez, E. (2023). Making Panels More Inclusive. Union of Concerned Scientists. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2023-06/Organizing%20and%20Participating%20in%20Inclusive%20Panels_6.12.pdf

Chicago

Dahl, Kristy, Gretchen Goldman, Rachel Licker, Joy McNally, and Erick Velez. Making Panels More Inclusive. Union of Concerned Scientists, 2023. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2023-06/Organizing%20and%20Participating%20in%20Inclusive%20Panels_6.12.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Dahl |first1=Kristy |last2=Goldman |first2=Gretchen |last3=Licker |first3=Rachel |last4=McNally |first4=Joy |last5=Velez |first5=Erick |title=Making Panels More Inclusive |publisher=Union of Concerned Scientists |date=June 2023 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2023-06/Organizing%20and%20Participating%20in%20Inclusive%20Panels_6.12.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{dahl2023making, author = {Dahl, Kristy and Goldman, Gretchen and Licker, Rachel and McNally, Joy and Velez, Erick}, title = {{Making Panels More Inclusive}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2023}, month = jun, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2023-06/Organizing%20and%20Participating%20in%20Inclusive%20Panels_6.12.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }