The Department of Physics and Astronomy’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Committee is a collection of students, faculty and staff who care deeply about making our department a more welcoming, supportive and inclusive community. Founded in 2021, our mission is to ensure that our department is free from discrimination, racism and harassment so that everyone feels valued, safe and empowered to be successful.
If you would like to reach out to our EDI committee, please use physastroedi@uwaterloo.ca.
The University of Waterloo, and the Department of Physics and Astronomy, are not responsible for the content of the external websites listed below, and do not endorse, approve, or guarantee the accuracy of the information available on these websites.
Resources for Students, Faculty, & Staff
Ableism
- Merriam-Webster: Definition of Ableism
- UW Accessibility: Guides and Resources
- UW Accessibility: Creating Accessible content at UW
- Ontario Human Rights Commission: Policy on preventing discrimination based on mental health disabilities and addictions
- Canadian Equity Consulting: Invisible Disabilities in the Workplace
Ageism
- Merriam-Webster: Definition of Ageism
- Department of Biology: Ageism Fact Sheet
- The Ontario Human Rights Commission: Policy on discrimination against older people because of age
- Insider Article: Ageist statements made in the workplace
- Journal Article: Ageism in the health care system by the International Federation on Ageing
Bias
Indigenous Affairs & Reconciliation
- Facets Article: How we can work towards reconciliation as scientists
- Native Governance Center: A guide to Indigenous land acknowledgment
- Native Land Digital: Interactive map
- Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action (PDF)
- UW Library: Indigenous Research Guide
- KAIROS: Blanket Exercise Program
- Canadian Museum for Human Rights Article: Nursing and Indigenous peoples’ health: reconciliation in practice
- YouTube Documentary: What is reconciliation? Indigenous educators have their say
- Resource Generation: Land Reparations and Indigenous Solidarity Toolkit
LGBTQ2SIA+
Linguistic Minorities and Classism
Microaggressions
- Department of Biology: Microaggression Fact Sheet
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Examples of Verbal and Non-Verbal Microaggressions (a PDF from the City of Cambridge, Massachusetts)
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Examples of Racial Microaggressions (a PDF from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health)
- Faculty Focus Article: Microresistance as a Way to Respond to Microaggressions
Racism
Recruitment
Recruitment
- UW EDI-R: Equitable Faculty Recruitment and Selection Toolkit
- CRC: Creating an Equitable, Diverse and Inclusive Research Environment: A Best Practices Guide for Recruitment, Hiring and Retention
- Government of Canada: Best practices in equity, diversity and inclusion in research practice and design
- Trakstar Hire Article: Blind Recruitment: Remove Bias From Your Hiring Process
Research
- NSERC: Guide on integrating equity, diversity and inclusion considerations in research
- PNAS Article: Gender-diverse teams produce more novel and higher-impact scientific ideas
- Nature Article: These labs are remarkably diverse — here’s why they’re winning at science
- Global Health Economics and Policy Article: Barriers that aspiring researchers from low- and middle-income countries face in global health research