Statement on Laboratory Culture

In an ideal world, science would be objective. However, much of science is historically built on a small subset of privileged voices. Injustice and violence against communities, including but not exclusive to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, individuals who are sexual minorities and/or transgender and/or gender expansive, individuals who are immigrants to the United States, and those of differing abilities is a continued symptom of inequity and oppression that we as a nation have built into our daily lives and institutions, including scientific research. Dr. Neilson would like to create a learning environment for the students that supports a diversity of thoughts, perspectives, and experiences, and honors their intersecting identities (including but not exclusive to race, gender, gender expression, class, sexuality, religion, region, and ability). As individuals and as a group, the SUPER lab is committed to reflecting on our own biases, examining the ways in which we can use our privileged voices to help elevate and amplify the oppressed voices in our communities, nation, and the world, upholding and enacting principles of democracy in our lab and society at large, and continuing to take concrete and effective steps toward applying a social justice lens in our research and practice. (Note: This statement draws heavily from the IMPACT Lab at Washington State University, and their contribution must be noted.)