Opinion: To learn inclusion skills, make it personal (Nature)

This is a great essay by David Asai, Senior Director for science education at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. David describes his journey from feeling annoyed at having to attend a multicultural forum to embracing their merit. He describes exercises that promote empathy and encourage respectful listening. He writes, “We understand that scientific excellence depends on creativity, that creativity emerges from diversity, and that the advantages of diversity are realized through inclusion,” and “Inclusion is a feeling of belonging, and so creating an empowering, embracing, egalitarian environment starts with the heart.” Over the years I have learned a lot from working with David, and I am pleased to note that he will be speaking at the Plant Biology 2019 conference, in the session “Biological and Personal Networks: Why They Matter for Plant Biology”. (Summary by Mary Williams) Nature 10.1038/d41586-019-00282-y