Promoting BIPOC and Marginalized Students to Pursue Computational Physics through CRANE

The growth of the nuclear fusion industry and programs in the past few years has shown a need for increasing support for young people to join this developing workforce. However, the lack of diversity within the plasma physics community has always been detrimental to encouraging underrepresented, marginalized and students of color to join the field of plasma physics. Although the worst of the COVID19 pandemic is over, the long term effects (medical and economic) have disproportionately affected marginalized communities and create an even larger barrier to joining this specific field.

The Computational Research Access Network (CRANE) was formed to address these issues. CRANE is a group of graduate students, postdocs, and professionals from marginalized communities. CRANE’s goals are to introduce underrepresented students to physics (specifically plasma and nuclear) at early stages, teach the computational tools needed to succeed in both computational and experimental research, and to provide them with opportunities in the form of internships or undergraduate research positions. In addition, CRANE’s diverse group members work at removing the barriers of entry into plasma and nuclear physics such as: representation, role models, mentorship, and encouraging culture.

In this talk, we will present learning outcomes from the inaugural CRANE workshops and best practices for plasma physics education that centers equity and inclusion.