Lab Mission Statement

Waters Lab Statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (inspired and modified from the Shade lab (Shade Lab DEI statement)

General Statement 

In the Waters lab, we respect and value each member’s viewpoints, experiences, and backgrounds and uphold their individual differences to foster an inclusive, collaborative, and successful scientific group. Our goal is to create an equitable, accepting, and welcoming environment to prepare all lab members to be culturally competent and productive team members as scientists and citizens in our society. We uphold MSU’s policies on DEI.  

Value Statement 

The Waters lab maintain diversity, equity, and inclusion as fundamental values and is committed to uphold them.  

• Diversity is defined as differences in, but not limited to, race, age, color, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, cultural expression, religion, national origin, migratory status, disability/abilities, appearance, political affiliation, veteran status, neurodiversity including personality and socioeconomic background. We also recognize diversity includes differences in backgrounds, ideas, thought, values and beliefs.  

• We define equity as all lab members will have equality of opportunity tailored to each individual for their success as a scientist.  

• We define inclusion as welcoming all members as full and equal participants of the group and celebrating each other's uniqueness.  

The Waters lab will not tolerate any type of discrimination or prejudice. We believe that upholding equality of opportunity and inclusion of diverse lab members will maximize the benefit of every individual through their own efforts and abilities. We believe that this requires continuous, intentional commitment to promote a healthy work environment that will enable success of every individual of our group and of our collective scientific goals.  

Action Statement 

Our values are recognized through several actionable measures that we collectively undertake. 

• We engage in inclusive, active and individualized learning and mentoring and we will strive to directly communicate in a caring and empathetic way with one another. 

• We understand that when individuals come from different backgrounds, they bring different ideas and perspectives. We will be respectful of those perspectives while fostering an open environment to share our own culture and values reciprocally.  

• We engage in outreach and community involvement, including but not limited to: 

  • Women in STEM days
  • MSU Science Festival 
  • Graduate Women in Science  
  • R Ladies East Lansing Data Science Symposium 
  • Graduate Recruitment Initiative Team (GRIT)
  • University Undergraduate Research Arts Forum (UURAF) 
  • MGI Graduate Student Workshop

• We acknowledge unconscious biases exist and strive to identify and address them.  

• When recruiting new team members, we pursue open hiring protocols and engage in thoughtful discussions within our group to review applications and to inform decisions on offers. This action supports inclusion of diverse applicant pools and ensures multiple levels of applicant review to reduce any one person's biases that may be at play in the decision-making process.  

• We will strive to promote DEI in our lab and the broader scientific community through education and informed actions.  Within the Waters Lab, we collect and share resources within the group, including books, blogposts, reports, literature, workshop opportunities, and other relevant documents that can support our mutual education in DEI. 

• We will always do our best to be kind, respectful, encouraging, nurturing, and empathetic to one another. We acknowledge that we are human beings who will make mistakes and learn and grow from them. 

We have an open-door policy and Chris is very happy to discuss any feedback or concerns regarding DEI with anyone. 

4. Resources at Michigan State University 

 Below are some links to key MSU resources. 

• Lesbian, bisexual, gay, and transgender resource center

• Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives;

• Office for International Students and Scholars aria-label="Read"

• Office of Cultural and Academic Transitions aria-label="Read"

• Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities aria-label="Read"

• University Ombudsperson aria-label="Read"

• Women’s Resource Center aria-label="Read"

• Mental health resources:MSU Employee Assistance Program (for post-docs, faculty, staff) and Counseling and Psychiatric Services (for students)