Ileana Fenwick | A Journey to Data Science: Tools for Equity and Diversity in STEM | RStudio (2022)

So, the first question that you may be asking in the audience today is, who am I? I am a marine community ecologist by training. I'm passionate about using math to understand natural systems and using RStudio to do it. My current work is looking at marine communities and how they're responding to climate change. And so, even though I'm battling a lot of imposter syndrome, to say this in front of the room full of incredible RStudio users in front of me today, I am a data scientist.

And as a data scientist and as a marine scientist, I'm very familiar with walking into rooms and being one of very few, if any. In fact, I'm one of the 3%. Data suggests that fewer than 3% of data scientists are women of color. And while I humbly stand before you all today, pronouncing this as a success story, there were a number of trials and tribulations along the way.

Data suggests that fewer than 3% of data scientists are women of color.

And so, I want to talk a little bit about how I was almost lost on this journey to data science and how I almost was not standing in front of you all today giving this presentation. When I started graduate school, I felt like the corner of this photo, of this beautiful illustration by Alison Horst. I was in my own little corner. I didn't know what I was doing. It felt like it was a lot of rainy days. And I was especially weighed down by the exclusivity I felt about data science. It felt like a tool that I was using, but it didn't feel like a community that I was a part of.

I was also weighed down by the historic exclusion of minority STEM professionals that I felt very much so in academia. And I also was stunned at the lack of action and support from my institution and from academia in general in the wake of a call for social justice and reform and equity in our field. And so, I lost my spark. It felt like I didn't know why I was in graduate school anymore. It felt like I didn't know why I was using these tools anymore.

But open science saved me. It opened this landscape of community. It opened this opportunity for me to find myself again. And I found community in our studio and its users. I also participated in the OpenScapes Champions program, and it changed my workflow radically. And I discovered, once again, my passion for data science education and also for engaging other students as well.

Defining open science and OpenScapes

And so, I may have said two words already that you're unfamiliar with, so I want to define them quickly. The first is open science, and the second is OpenScapes. So open science is the tools and the practices that enable all of us to have more reproducible, transparent, and inclusive practices for data-intensive science. And so, when we're talking about tools, we're talking about these open source softwares and practices that we're using, for example, GitHub, and we talk about the practices as well and the communities that exist around these tools. For example, the RStudio community.

And if you had the pleasure of hearing this morning's keynote, you learned a little bit about OpenScapes. And so, OpenScapes helps researchers reimagine data-intensive science and also to develop the skills to cultivate collaborative and inclusive teams. And they do that in two ways in particular. The first is through the OpenScapes Champions program, which I was a participant in, which is an open science mentorship program for science teams. And the second is through cultivating the OpenScapes mindset, which is a community-building framework to support the transition to open science.

And it relies on these three principles that turn into a cycle of community building. The first is to empower research teams, the second is to amplify leaders, and the third is to engage mentors.

How OpenScapes changed the journey

And so, when I participated in the OpenScapes Champions program, it changed my life. I was so excited to see that new, beautiful landscape of open science and collaboration that existed. And so, I asked two questions after my participation in OpenScapes when we were checking in a few months later. The first was, why had I never heard of open science before? And the second was, how do I get more students like myself to learn about open science before they fall through the cracks in this pipeline?

And so, that conversation, those questions, turned into a dialogue. And that dialogue has now turned into a long-term collaboration with OpenScapes to support and explore how we can support students from historically excluded backgrounds on their journeys to data science. And more than that, it also connected me with an incredible community of people similarly motivated by their values, by valuing diversity, inclusion, transparency, and collaboration.

And so, I was all of a sudden exposed to all of these incredible resources, especially the RStudio community, and I learned what it had to offer. And so, I went from an outsider and believing that data science was just a tool that I used to do my work, to now being a participant in the change that I'm hoping to see in our data science communities.

A formula for success

And so, when we've been reflecting about how I made it to this point and how I'm standing in front of you all today, I thought about a formula for the success that's led to this point. The first point being, values in action. The second, being investment aligned with these values. And the third, being an OpenScapes mindset at all levels.

The first is values in action. It was incredibly refreshing for me to participate and be a part of communities that showed me that they were walking their talk. Not only is inclusivity and transparency and collaboration a part of the work that RStudio is doing, but it's also a part of the community and the people who are a part of it. Some examples of that include my R users and R ladies. Also, being able to see and experience the authentic leadership within the open science community. In particular, with OpenScapes and RStudio.

We've had the chance to hear from so many of the incredible developers and leaders who are part of these teams. And it's refreshing to see how open they are, to hearing our concerns, how much a part of they are a part of this community. And it matters that all of us are working together. And lastly, action with a sense of urgency. I don't think any of us would be here today if we didn't believe the RStudio community was going to make this a safe place.

An example of that is the code of conduct and COVID policies for this conference. This is my very first time giving a non-academic talk. This is my very first time talking about diversity and equity. And that's very scary for me. But I knew that the place that I wanted to do it for the first time was at RStudio conference. And that, to me, is a testament to what this community is capable of.

The next is investing in those community values. And I think that there are two ways that the open science community has demonstrated this to me in particular. And the first is prioritizing, compensating people for their time, their effort, and their contributions to safer spaces for all of us. My work with OpenScapes was the very first time in my career of working on diversity, equity, and inclusion in over six years where I was compensated for the work that I was doing. And to me, it made me less stressed that this was a side project that I was passionate about and showed me that I could prioritize this in my life and that it was a priority to the community that I was serving as well. And it made all the difference.

My work with OpenScapes was the very first time in my career of working on diversity, equity, and inclusion in over six years where I was compensated for the work that I was doing.

The next is lowering the barriers for participation and engagement. The reason I'm standing before you all today is that I'm a participant in the RStudio Diversity Scholars Program that made it possible for me to be here and to participate in workshops and present to you all today. And I think it's just one example of the many ways that RStudio community is committed to making sure that we get a lot of people in these rooms having these conversations. Additionally, the resource guides and the openness of this community to learners at every level is an incredible asset to being able to bring people from all types of backgrounds into our data science communities.

And lastly is the OpenScapes mindset at all levels. As I mentioned, there are three tiers to this flywheel. The first is empowering research teams. The second being amplifying leaders. And the third being engaged mentors. And ultimately, what this is building is a community where at every level, regardless of hierarchy or leadership structure, that all of us are committed to building community. All of us are committed to mentoring and working with one another. And ultimately, we're able to build collaboration and mentorship not only within our organizations, but beyond. It makes our work more collaborative, more inclusive, it makes it kinder, and more efficient as well.

And ultimately, building community with the OpenScapes mindset means that you're not alone. Regardless of if you just joined the team or you're well into your work, this is a way for us to collaborate and learn with one another. And no one has to try to fix anything by themselves. And we can all experience and enjoy the landscape Open Science has to offer.

What doing the work looks like

So what does it look like when we do the work? What does it look like when all of these principles are in place? What does it look like when we put this formula together? Values in action, investment aligned with these values, and lastly, an OpenScapes mindset at all levels.

It looks like going from learner to teacher. This is a photo of me teaching my very first Open Science lecture to a cohort of OpenScapes champions that participated after I did. It looks like expanding our open data and open principles to communities beyond our own. And I was able to host an event in other communities that I'm a part of. This year, I hosted in a data science mixer for Black and Marine Science, another organization that I'm a member of. And I was able to bring together quantitative marine scientists to build community and talk about Open Science and explore how we can collaborate with one another.

And lastly, it looks like building the better future that we want to see. This is from my colleague and I being recipients of the Code for Science and Society event fund grant, where in the spring of 2023, we're going to be bringing a Pathways to Open Science programming to students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities, HBCUs, of which I am an alum.

Action items for the community

And so all of that to say that a more equitable future for our field is possible. But it's time for us to do the work. And so I'm leaving everyone in this room today with three action items and three ways to begin those conversations.

And the first is to center the voices of those we work to support and include. This is a time to listen. This is a time to amplify. It's not a time to do anything more than that. Also, to ask hard questions in the rooms where you do have a voice. Look at your organization, at your hiring structure, at your onboarding process, and ask yourself some of those questions. Where are people falling through the cracks? Where can we do better? What needs to happen for our team to include everyone at any level?

And lastly, be the community member who you want to meet at the beginning of your journey. Had I not met Julie, I would not be standing in front of you all today. And so I encourage you all to be a Julie. And also to continue to perpetuate community and provide this inclusive space at every level of leadership, at every level of engagement, so that no matter what angle someone enters our RStudio community at or enters the data science community at, that they feel included and that we're ready to work together.

And lastly, be the community member who you want to meet at the beginning of your journey.

And so while I stand before you all today as one of few, I strongly believe that leveraging our community, I can be one of many. And with that, I would like to sincerely thank and acknowledge everyone who made presenting in front of you all today possible. So I'd like to thank Julie and the OpenScapes team. I'd like to thank the RStudio diversity scholars. And I would also like to thank Mackay Floyd and my support system, who made sure, even though I just took my PhD comprehensive exams last week, and I passed, that I was still...

That I was still able and ready to be standing in front of you all today and give this presentation. And so with that, I'm happy to take any questions. I'd love to connect with you all. I'd love to work with you all. And I'm ready to take any questions.