Topic IX -1- Beyond just research data: The value of outreach, education, equality, diversity and inclusion around lakes

Conveners

1. Liseth Pérez (Chair of Organic Biogeochemistry in Geo-Systems, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen 52056, Germany)
2. Paula Echeverría-Galindo (Chair of Organic Biogeochemistry in Geo-Systems, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen 52056, Germany)
3. Paula de Tezanos Pinto (CONICET‑Departamento de Ambiente y Turismo, Universidad Nacional de Avellaneda (UNDAV), Avellaneda, Argentina)
4. Julieta Massaferro (CENAC-APN / CONICET, Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina)

The first special session on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) at the 2022 IAL-IPA Joint Meeting in Bariloche, Argentina, was met with great enthusiasm, receiving highly positive feedback. Building on this success, we are pleased to extend an invitation to continue promoting inclusive research practices. We encourage contributions showing how paleolimnology and limnogeology is becoming more diverse, equitable and inclusive, including but not limited to (1) Third Mission activities, such as outreach and education in aspirational, ongoing, or finalized projects, (2) open science and sharing data, (3) challenges to diversifying our Earth Science community and statistics on underrepresentation of different groups (women, parents, dual-career couples, nationality) in academic institutions and associations, especially at highest academic levels, (4) initiatives and strategies supporting Early Career Researchers (ECRs), and (5) outcomes that involve local students, researchers, and communities in projects, especially in developing countries, areas governed by Indigenous people, and economically disadvantaged areas.

We invite participants from all fields, nationalities, and academic stages (early-, mid-, and senior-career researchers), particularly group leaders, who were less present in the first special session, but whose collaboration with younger members is key for improving workplace conditions and mental health.