APS Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity Alliance (IDEA): Transforming the Culture of Physics

APS-IDEA was founded in 2019  to address the lack of diversity, equity, and inclusion in physics (detailed in many reports) by changing the culture of the physic community into one in which all people can thrive. We are composed of nearly 100 teams from universities, national laboratories, and large collaborations.  We have teams from Africa, Australia, Europe, as well as North and South America.  We have nearly 1500 individuals participating from these institutions. We have four guiding principles.  The first is to center people whose identities are marginalized. This means valuing and planning for the needs of those who are not traditionally considered.  For example, considering accessibility for an activity or the need for child care at a conference.  Another principle is sensemaking.  This is how we make sense of our organization and the world. As physicists we are experts at model building. We need to translate this to the context of culture.  We have also implemented research-based transformational methods as a guiding principle.  There is a rich literature of change within academic settings that we draw from.  We also have shared leadership across levels, from students to faculty, as a guiding principle. For example, our steering committee is composed of graduate students, national laboratory members, faculty, etc.  This model is also present in several APS units, where students are part of the executive committee. During this talk, I will discuss our activities and findings.