The US National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine is embarking on study of racism in academic research, ScienceInsider reports.
It notes that this study comes in response to a letter the organization received from Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D–TX), who chairs the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. In her letter to National Academy President Marcia McNutt, Johnson calls on her to assemble a panel to examine systemic racism within academia and its effect on the careers of underrepresented populations. She in particular asks that the study address how systemic racism has influenced research agendas, affected the recruitment and advancement of individuals from underrepresented groups, and identify strategies to address and prevent systemic racism.
"As our nation confronts the racism that has pervaded so much of our public life since its founding, it is incumbent upon each of use to do what we can to address the systems that perpetuate inequities within our own sphere of influence," Johnson writes.
McNutt tells ScienceInsider she is "quite excited about doing this study," and hopes that it sheds light on racism within academic research similar to how a 2018 NASEM report examined sexual harassment in the sciences.