LGBTQ+ STEM Day and Polar Pride Day take place on 18 November. LGBTQ+ STEM Day was launched in 2018 to raise the visibility of LGBT+ individuals working in STEM professions. The day is supported by organisations around the world, following its initial founding by LGBT+ STEM associations, including the charitable trust Pride in STEM. UKRI has supported events for the last three years including hosting symposiums at the National Science and Innovation Campuses of Harwell and Daresbury in 2018 and 2019 and running an online webinar in 2020. Polar Pride Day has been celebrated since 2020 and is a celebration of LGBT+ individuals working in the Polar Regions. It is timed to coincide with LGBTQ+ STEM Day because of the unique history and STEM research which is undertaken at the poles.

This year, the new UKRI Pride Network had worked with colleagues in and beyond the network to create an engaging and inclusive celebration to mark the day. The event will be running from 11:00 until 14:00, where you will be hearing from colleagues from across UKRI and beyond.

11:00-12:00 – Welcome and Voices of LGBTQ+ STEM Day

Chair: Dr Phil Carvil (He/Him), Cluster Development Manager STFC

Speakers Include:

Dan(i) Jones (they/them), Physical Oceanographer, British Antarctic Survey
Hazel Hart (she/her), Centre for Process Innovation
Eddie Ball (he/him), 'Reader in RF Engineering & UKRI Future Leaders Fellow at The University of Sheffield
Jay Jones (they/them), Biotechnologist, Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Centre
Harry (he/they), ‘The Queer World of Quantum Mechanics’, PhD Student, University College London

12:05-12:55 – Developing in STEM: The importance of Allyship and reflections in climbing the ladder (panel discussion)

Chair: Tristan Canfer (He/Him), Diagnostics Technician at STFC, Chair of UKRI Pride Network

Panel:

Kenny Faulds (he/him), UKRI Head of EDI
Kieran Bullivant (any pronouns), Apprentice, Manufacturing Technology Center | HVMC
Dr David Bryant (he/him), Future Leadership Fellow, University of Glasgow
Pilvi Muschitiello (She/Her), Impact Facilitator, British Atlantic Survey, Diversity in UK Polar Science Initiative (DIPSI)

13:00-13:55 – Voices of Polar Pride

Chair: Pilvi Muschitiello (She/Her), Impact Facilitator at British Antarctic Survey, Diversity in UK Polar Science Initiative (DIPSI)

Speakers Include:

Dr Huw Griffiths (He/Him), British Atlantic Survey, [Area of Science Interest: Polar Marine Biology]
Anna Clarke (She/Her) , British Antarctic Survey and the University of Bath, [Area of Science Interest: Climate science, Antarctica]
Lara Lalemi (she/her), University of Bristol, British Antarctic Survey and Creative Tuition Collective, [Area of Science Interest: Science education and diversifying science curriculums]
Jaz Millar (They/Them), Cardiff University, The Natural History Museum London, [Area of Science Interest: Cryosphere and biosphere connections, extremophile microbiology]

How will the sessions run?

Each session will be moderated by a chair as set out in the agenda. They will introduce the session, ask questions to the speakers and coordinate the Q&A with the attendees.

Will the sessions be recorded?

Yes, we are planning to record the sessions which will be available on the Pride Network Source page. We will also use the recordings to capture any questions we weren’t able to answer so we can come back to attendees after the event.

Who can attend the online event?

This year, the Pride network is collaborating with several aligned organisations to celebrate the day. As such, the event is open to all UKRI employees, and those funded by UKRI or the research councils including campus employees, colleagues from the catapult network, UK Atomic Energy Authority and more.

If you have questions or would like to get involved in the event, contact the UKRI Pride team at: PrideNetwork@ukri.org.

To get more information regarding the Polar Pride team and the Diversity in Polar Science Initiative, please follow this link:

https://www.bas.ac.uk/project/diversity-in-uk-polar-science-initiative/ or for specific queries please contact edi@bas.ac.uk

LGBTQ+ STEM Day & Polar Pride Day