The DE-SILO Project

What if we could create a culture of science in which equity and inclusion were understood as
core values of scientific work?

All too often, equity and inclusion work is done on the side of everything else, relegated to one-off trainings that are treated like checkboxes. In 2021, I founded DE-SILO with Jason Garcia, a cell biology student at UCSF, to tackle this problem. The DE-SILO project aims to change current practice, by elevating ongoing discussions and training in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) to become central practice in academic science. We've created course modules that can be implemented in weekly lab meetings crafted specifically for STEM researchers.  Over the 2021-2022 academic year, DE-SILO is launching with partners in four labs at universities across the United States (UCSF, Washington University in St. Louis, University of Washington, and CalTech). 

Our name is inspired by the silos and boundaries that keep us from reckoning with the ways in which science and society are inseparable. In this project, we grapple with these silos, recognize their existence and question their purpose and utility, and collectively work to dismantle them. 

Together, we can envision a different kind of science.

Findings from our pilot year are under review. Get in touch if you would like to learn more about DE-SILO or are interested in implementing it in your lab! 

Funding for the DE-SILO project was provided by the University of California, Graduate Division Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Academic Leadership fund.