Office of Diversity and Inclusion – National Radio Astronomy Observatory

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) ensures that the NRAO’s ideals of equitable access for all are put into practice. ODI provides support so that underrepresented students, professionals, and staff in astronomy have equitable access to educational and professional experiences. ODI’s equity work reaches grade school students, college and graduate students, career professionals, and institutions through their Broader Impact programs, and through NRAO workplace training and policies.

NRAO Diversity & Inclusion Statement

At NRAO, we believe that a diverse staff is critical for our mission to enable world-class science with cutting edge radio facilities for the scientific community, to train the next generation of scientists and engineers, and to foster a scientifically literate society. We are committed to a diverse and inclusive work place culture that appreciates all individuals across all identities, including race, gender, gender identity/expression, age, ethnicity, ability, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, religious affiliation, or national origin and culture.

This commitment to diversity and inclusion extends to all NRAO interactions with the broader community.

NRAO’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion has its own dedicated staff, and partners with numerous other departments and agencies to create more opportunities for current and future astronomers, scientists, and staff. ODI is always looking for more like-minded partners and collaborators. Please contact the ODI office (odi@nrao.edu)if you are interested in partnering with ODI.

ODI works with a wide population of staff and institutions as they coordinate Broader Impact programs and provide support for the NRAO Employee Diversity Group.

Employee Support

We offer online courses, collaborate on developing policy, and provide guidance on building an equitable workplace.

Broadening Participation Programs:

NAC

The goal of the National Astronomy Consortium (NAC) is to increase the number of students, often under-served by the traditional academic pipeline, in STEM and STEM careers by placing them in a cooperative, diverse team over the summer and beyond.

NAC is a competitive program for undergraduate students who are U.S. citizens and/or permanent residents, and are enrolled in an accredited U.S. undergraduate program, including community college programs. Any college student from first to final year can apply, but students in their 2nd or 3rd year will likely be the most prepared, and benefit the most from the experience.

For more information, visit https://superknova.org/nac/

NINE

The goal for the NINE program is to form satellite NINE “Hubs” where underrepresented individuals have access to radio astronomy related resources and networks. Institutions send future hub coordinators to complete an intensive training program in using radio astronomy-related software and hardware. Hub coordinators then return to their home institution in order to create the NINE hub to disseminate these skills and resources. The NINE Hubs form a network of mutual support and cooperation in order to more effectively include underrepresented groups of learners.

For more information, please visit the NINE page here.

RADIAL

The Radio Astronomy Data Imaging and Analysis Lab (RADIAL) is an intentional partnership between NRAO, 14 minority-serving institutions (MSIs) of higher education, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-M) Center for High-Throughput Computing (CHTC) to establish a virtual institute (‘RADIAL’) for data-intensive research in radio astronomy.

For more information, visit https://superknova.org/radial/

The Ham Radio Project

Exploring the Electromagnetic Spectrum (EMS)
The Ham Radio Project, funded by Amateur Radio Digital Communications, is a 2-year learning opportunity that will educate young adults about the electromagnetic spectrum while sharing the excitement of amateur (ham) radio among BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ students.

For more information, visit https://superknova.org/ham-radio-project/

Chile REU Program

Antonio Hales– ALMA, Program Manager

ODI Staff

Jesse Alexander – Ham Radio Project Lead – jalexand@nrao.edu
Jennifer Bates – Broadening Participation Program Manager, RADIAL – jbates@nrao.edu
Valarie Bogan – Curriculum Specialist, Superknova – vbogan@nrao.edu
JJ Burns– NAC Administrative Assistant jburns@nrao.edu
Anja Fourie afourie@nrao.edu, Broader Impacts, Observatory-wide Lead, and ngVLA BI IPT Lead
Issi Marsh– ODI Administrative Assistant imarsh@nrao.edu
Danielle Rowland – Broadening Participation Student Programs Manager – drowland@nrao.edu
Lyndele von Schill — ODI Director lvonschi@nrao.edu
Jamie Howard — Superknova — jhoward@aui.edu

NRAO Employee Diversity Group

More about the Employee Diversity Group can be found here.

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.
	Founded in 1956, the NRAO provides state-of-the-art radio telescope facilities for use by the international scientific community. NRAO telescopes are open to all astronomers regardless of institutional or national affiliation. Observing time on NRAO telescopes is available on a competitive basis to qualified scientists after evaluation of research proposals on the basis of scientific merit, the capability of the instruments to do the work, and the availability of the telescope during the requested time. NRAO also provides both formal and informal programs in education and public outreach for teachers, students, the general public, and the media.
	The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense..."
	AUI collaborates with the scientific community and research sponsors to plan, build, and operate cutting-edge facilities. We cultivate excellence, deliver value, enhance education, and engage the public.

Office of Diversity & Inclusion