Alysha Shugart: Dancing with the stars

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (EDI) efforts are a central facet of observatory operations and impact every position within a working observatory. A science-operations specialist at Gemini South in Chile, Alysha Shugart has discussed these subjects in multiple sessions and workshops at SPIE Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation meetings.

Is the observatory community faced with the same representation issues as the larger STEM community? Are the solutions different?

Absolutely and absolutely. Observatories aren't immune from the issues that plague the rest of astronomy and STEM. Some of the big-picture solutions are the same, though. Leadership must have an active role in establishing workplace culture and establishing EDI as a pillar of the organization. The workplace standards for staff or researchers or students or faculty must all be the same, bar none. Equity must be central to every organizational decision that is made, large or small. Those are just a few examples. However, how these things are accomplished at each place is different.

Among the diversity advocates and allies I have at work, we share initiatives and trade ideas we have tried to improve workplace culture, but it's not one-size-fits-all. A lot of times we go through a process of trial-and-error determining what works at our workplaces and what doesn't. At the grassroots level, some events I put on to discuss EDI issues were huge successes, and there were great conversations we shared amongst colleagues. And others ... fell completely flat. Try, try again.

What initially interested you in pursuing issues around diversity in observatory operations?

At first, it was a way for me to have an impact on astronomy in my own way. It was a chance to do something really meaningful. Now, it's a part of everything I do. I don't take off the "diversity advocate" hat.

Shugart shows off her tattoo of the James Webb Space Telescope next to a model of the same outside of the mission control room of the JWST at the Space Telescope Science Institute. Credit: A. Shugar

In 2018, you presented your paper at SPIE, "Diversity and inclusion in observatory operations: Advocating for and implementing positive change." Part of your research showed that "Diverse working groups are capable of producing better science, and creating an inclusive environment is essential to maintaining diversity in the workplace." Two years later, what are your biggest takeaways from that paper's research?

In my research, I read a ton about theoretical models of inclusive working environments, not just in science environments, but in any working group. It was really helpful for me to have a guided model for this work, and I thought of all these different activities as experiments to prove the model. It gave me a solid direction in prioritizing my activities, and I learned how to focus initiatives, not just looking inward at work, but looking outward to the community.

In your current role, have you been able to implement any of those takeaways or support them in your workplace?

I have heard various analogies for EDI work/efforts, but this is my favorite: "diversity is about being invited to the party, and inclusion is about being asked to dance." I'm all about asking people to dance. I am not the best dancer by a long shot, but the party is so much better when everyone gets a chance to dance.

Another quote from your 2018 paper: "The goal is that these strategies can be adapted to benefit other similar organizations." Since publishing your paper, have you been able to work with other organizations to advance diversity and inclusion in spaces beyond observatories, or have you primarily worked with peer organizations within the astro community?

Since that paper, I have worked with external allies and diversity advocates from the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) to develop the diversity and inclusion strategy for NSF's NOIRlab, which was launched officially in 2019. We pooled our research and experience from the individual AURA-managed facilities like Gemini, Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory, and Kitt Peak to build a system for National Science Foundation's National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (NOIRlab) that brings the best practices from these individual projects and unifies them under a NOIRlab directorate. I have given talks about unconscious bias and bystander intervention to universities looking for volunteer speakers on the subject of EDI, and I take every opportunity to promote the work of the diversity advocates and all the different activities they do at AURA and NOIRlab. That's what brought me to SPIE again. Although, thanks to Dr. Alison Peck at Gemini North (now at NSF), it's going to have an even bigger presence at SPIE this year.

Alysha interviews about her role as a science operations specialist at the International Gemini South Observatory for Real People: Big Astronomy. The documentary features astronomers working at facilities all over Chile. It is to be used in planetariums around the world. Credit: A. Shugart

You are chairing three EDI events at SPIE Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation which will cover topics such as allyship, institutional barriers, and unconscious bias. What do you hope the audience will gain from these discussions?

From my experience, a lot of folks I talk to about EDI themes, social issues, barriers in astronomy, put these issues way out of their own reach. Sometimes there's an attitude of "What can I do? I'm just one person, and I am not even in a leadership position." These are institutional issues, that is true, but the combined actions of the individuals of that institution can influence the overall direction of it. Of the dozens of EDI talks and workshops and conferences I have participated in, there is one commonality: the participants are energized to act. And the acts can seem small, but they are important. A participant may be encouraged to start paying attention to meeting dynamics, be able to recognize some of the signs of exclusion, and call out these behaviors publicly.

I am encouraged when I see my colleagues embody inclusive practices, from gender-neutral language to sharing the space during a discussion and ensuring that everyone has gotten to speak. I am encouraged when my coworkers tell me they have taken steps to educate themselves more about their biases and realize that it was influencing how they spoke to different people. I promise, I am not the only one who is noticing those positive changes, and the impact may be even greater for others. I hope to cast that wide net, and leave the audience energized and equipped on how to pay attention, and act accordingly.

You are giving a presentation during a session dedicated to Impacts and Diversity in the field. How important is it to talk about these issues as part of astronomy research rather than a special-session topic?

Impacts of EDI practices are as important to astronomy as the instrument or telescope an astronomer uses to do their science. They matter as much as the next generation of telescopes and technology being developed. If there is one message that I can get across is that EDI isn't a side-issue. Removing barriers, creating equal access to science, and addressing injustice doesn't just depend on a few people working on it part time. It must be at the core of every advancement in astronomy. Better people than I have said this: it must be the way astronomy does business.