Inclusion is a core value for NASA and for our team. Our team has several features to promote this value. For example, we are collaboratively developing a Code of Conduct, which will be shared publicly after its adoption by the team. The team also has an Ombud, who is based at JPL and has no leadership or managerial responsibilities over other team members; the Ombud will be available to all team members regardless of their affiliation. Within the leadership structure of the team, there are two Inclusion Chairs (ICs), who participate in the team's steering committee and have direct access to the PI to promptly flag and address issues affecting inclusion within the team. Among the tasks of the ICs is running annual climate surveys, the first of which has been carried out to establish a baseline early in the lifetime of the team; the ICs also develop a response to be shared with the rest of the team and with NASA.
Copies of the team's climate survey will be made available for reuse by other organizations upon reasonable request to the inclusion chairs of this PIT, Michael Troxel (Duke) and Rachel Mandelbaum (CMU).
To promote equitable and inclusive hiring practices when hiring into postdoctoral or other positions associated with our PIT, we have developed a set of principles underpinning the definition of merit to be used in hiring processes.