Tag: conservation

BME in STEM – A Bristol University Report 2019

Posted on by Mya-Rose Craig

Birdgirl Blog

BME in STEM – A Bristol University Report 2019

Copyright BME in STEM Report

On 6th February 2019, Black2Nature attended a conference at Bristol University, BME in STEM organised by a first-year PhD student, Lara Lalemi

Lara Lalemi opening at BME in STEM Conference Panel
Copyright BME in STEM Report

The report produced is essential reading for anyone who wants to see an increase in diversity in the nature conservation, nature media and environmental sectors.

BME in STEM Report

Primary recommendations (for within 1-5 years implementation) are:

  • Unconscious bias training for all University staff and students, mandatory for members of committees or interview panels, and for personnel involved in teaching.
  • Instigate mentoring schemes aimed at supporting BAME accepted applicants, students, and staff.
  • Provide a diverse curriculum that includes BAME contributions to science and ensures diversity on teaching committees. Where it is not possible to find diversity in professorial staff, the introduction of BAME post-doctorates and postgraduates to the committee should be implemented.
  • Introduce anonymised applications in the undergraduate recruitment process.
  • BAME role models are needed at all career stages and can be provided through outreach activities, invited speakers and by ensuring the curriculum includes contributions made by BAME individuals to STEM.

BME in STEM Conference Panel

Copyright BME in STEM Report

 

A detailed action plan summarising all of the recommendations can be found at the very end of this document.

Within a year of submitting this report, a follow-up review will be conducted to assess how far the university has come in implementing these changes.

 

Panel and Speakers:

BME in STEM Conference Panel

Copyright BME in STEM Report

    • Cllr. Cleo Lake; the Rt. Hon. The Lord Mayor of Bristol
    • Dr Erinma Ochu MBE; Lecturer in Science Communication and Future Media at the University
      of Salford
    • Dr Emmanuel Adukwu; Senior Lecturer (Biomedical Science) and Employability Lead –
      Coordinator UWE Africa Network and Africa Week at UWE
    • Dr Mark Richards; Senior Teaching Fellow and Head of Physics Outreach at Imperial College
      London
    • Professor Fred Manby; Professor of Theoretical Chemistry at University of Bristol
    • Professor Christina Hicks; Lecturer in Political Ecology at Lancaster University
    • Nasra Ayub; Undergraduate Education Officer at University of Bristol Student Union Doctoral College

Cleo Lake at BME in STEM Conference Panel

Copyright BME in STEM Report

 

Facilitators:

    • Mr Sammuel Zubair; University of Bristol
    • Ms. Rebecca Scott; University of Bristol
    • Mr Robiu Salisu; University of Bristol
    • Miss Nuzhat Tabassum; University of Bristol
    • Miss Angela Suriyakumaran; University of Bristol
    • Mr Khalid Hammad; University of Bristol
    • Mrs. Helena Craig; Bristol local
    • Dr Mark Richards; Imperial College London
    • Ms. Jenny Hawkins; University of Bristol, GW4+

BME in STEM Conference Panel

Copyright BME in STEM Report

Helping Members:

    • Ms Sally Patterson; University of Bristol
    • Miss Tumi Edun; University of Bristol
    • Miss Vicky Phung; University of Bristol
    • Miss Maggie Kadembo; University of Bristol
    • Mr David Nzewi; University of Bristol
    • Miss Nana Agyare; University of Bristol
    • Miss Mwaka Sipula; University of Bristol
    • Mr Jamie Davis; University of Bristol
    • Mr Julio Mkok; University of Bristol
    • Miss Emma Crossley; University of Bristol
    • Miss Mae Masters; University of Bristol
    • Miss Joanna Clowes; University of Bristol
    • Miss Marla Mbemba; University of Bristol
    • Dr Natalie Pridmore; University of BristolREFERENCES
  1. http://www.rsc.org/globalassets/02-about-us/our-strategy/inclusion-diversity/cm-044-17_a4- diversity-landscape-of-the-chemical-sciences-report_web-2.pdf accessed 10/03/2019.
  2. http://www.bristol.ac.uk/inclusion/race-in-the-workplace/ accessed 10/03/2019.
  3. Higher education student and staff records, HESA, 2017, https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-andanalysis.
  4. Dualeh, BME Attainment gap, Bristol SU, 2017, 1-37
  5. https://medium.com/@erinmaochu/connecting-people-place-re-thinking-bme-in-stem-
    bce9faf44cbd accessed 03/03/2019.
  6. R. Glover, T.G. Harrison, D.E. Shallcross, Acta Didactica Napocensia, 2016, 9, 79-97.
  7. L Muller, S. Roberts, R. C. Wilson, J. J. Remedios, S. Illingworth, R. Graves, T. Trent, J.
    Henderson, J. Wilkinson, M. Wilkinson and A. Desai, Phys. Educ. 2013, 48, 17
  8. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-40497882 accessed 10/03/2019.
  9. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/may/05/bristol-university-slave-trade-
    history?fbclid=IwAR1vL6MUOdyu6ueTy8Mb6Tn1PuFI07R13mFlMEJ9CWHxeVAjW6Af2Bjb7m4
  10. http://www.bristol.ac.uk/alumni/13ristol-alumni/prominent-alumni accessed 10/03/2019.

About The Author

Hi, I’m Dr. Mya-Rose Craig. I am a 19-year-old prominent British-Bangladeshi ornithologist, environmentalist, diversity activist as well as an author, speaker and broadcaster. At age 11 I started the popular blog Birdgirl, and at age 17 I became the youngest person to see half of the birds in the world.

Buy My Book

Lyrical, poignant and insightful.’ - Margaret Atwood

This is my story; a journey defined by my love for these extraordinary creatures. Because large or small, brown, patterned or jewelled, there is something about birds that makes us, even for just moments at a time, lift our eyes away from our lives and up to the skies.

Buy Book

Lyrical, poignant and insightful.’ - Margaret Atwood

This is my story; a journey defined by my love for these extraordinary creatures. Because large or small, brown, patterned or jewelled, there is something about birds that makes us, even for just moments at a time, lift our eyes away from our lives and up to the skies.

Buy Book

Find Out More

To find out more about working with me or to buy my book, please use the links below.

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Interview for BBC Radio 4 “You and Yours”

Posted on by Mya-Rose Craig

Birdgirl Blog

Interview for BBC Radio 4 “You and Yours”

Young Birder Mya-Rose Birdgirl Craig in her garden
Photograph taken by and copyright Chris Craig

During the Easter holidays, I was contacted by a journalist, Jess Quayle, from the ‘You and Yours’ consumer programme from Radio 4. They were planning a feature about the number of people feeding birds in their gardens and how this had increased massively in recent years. They wanted me to answer a few questions on the topic and talk about how I feed my garden birds.

Young Birder Mya-Rose Birdgirl Craig in her garden
Photograph taken by and copyright Chris Craig
Young Birder Mya-Rose Birdgirl Craig in her garden
Photograph taken by and copyright Chris Craig

The only problem was that I was away skiing and then was going straight to Paris to spend a week with my grandmother in Disneyland.

Luckily, the programme wasn’t due to be aired for a couple of weeks, so after I was home, I got up at 7 am midweek to record the last bit of dawn chorus in our garden in the Chew Valley, south of Bristol. If I am ever up at 5 am for ringing or twitching, hearing the dawn chorus is a truly fantastic experience. I was too tired to actually talk then, so fitted the recording in at Chew Valley Lake after school. The only problem was that the Bristol Water gardeners were out cutting and strimming the grass, so I had to do my recordings in between the noise. I always learn a lot about being a presenter, every time I have to do anything like this so is a brilliant experience.

It was amazing to have my first interview for BBC Radio 4 aired last Friday 5th May 2017, which you can still hear on BBC IPlayer for the “You & Yours” programme in the section about the increase in people feeding the birds in their gardens. I am at 10:45 into the programme on http://bbc.in/2qeC28M with images at http://bbc.in/2qMuXts.

Young Birder Mya-Rose Birdgirl Craig in her garden
Photograph taken by and copyright Chris Craig
Young Birder Mya-Rose Birdgirl Craig in her garden
Photograph taken by and copyright Chris Craig

About The Author

Hi, I’m Dr. Mya-Rose Craig. I am a 19-year-old prominent British-Bangladeshi ornithologist, environmentalist, diversity activist as well as an author, speaker and broadcaster. At age 11 I started the popular blog Birdgirl, and at age 17 I became the youngest person to see half of the birds in the world.

Buy My Book

Lyrical, poignant and insightful.’ - Margaret Atwood

This is my story; a journey defined by my love for these extraordinary creatures. Because large or small, brown, patterned or jewelled, there is something about birds that makes us, even for just moments at a time, lift our eyes away from our lives and up to the skies.

Buy Book

Lyrical, poignant and insightful.’ - Margaret Atwood

This is my story; a journey defined by my love for these extraordinary creatures. Because large or small, brown, patterned or jewelled, there is something about birds that makes us, even for just moments at a time, lift our eyes away from our lives and up to the skies.

Buy Book

Find Out More

To find out more about working with me or to buy my book, please use the links below.

Work With MeBuy Book

British Red Squirrel – A Guest blog

Posted on by Mya-Rose Craig

Birdgirl Blog

British Red Squirrel – A Guest blog

This is a great guest blog by local-to-the-South West charity British Red Squirrel (this is their Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/BritishRedSquirrel/.

If you are not already aware, British Red Squirrels are at risk of extinction and so the charity wants to protect red squirrels and assist in their growth, educating and raising awareness across the UK. It’s a really important topic and I hope you will read the post and support them.


Figure 1 Seasonal Red Squirrel © Olivia Kennaway

At this time of year, our native wildlife has one thing on its mind – reproduction! We, humans, have tampered with our environment so much that some species are really struggling. At a local level, we continue to destroy habitats. A few predator species like the magpie can take advantage of this, with less suitable nesting sites for small birds, harvest mice and dormice. At least magpies are a native species.


Figure 2 Grey Squirrel eating bird

The American grey squirrel is not. Through no fault of its own, it was introduced to the UK in 1878 as a novelty. There are now estimated to be over 3 million. The problem is they are hugely destructive to our trees, shrubs and bulbs, as well as predating on our birds, bats and dormice.


Figure 3 Grey Squirrel with egg from nest

Our native red squirrel has lived in harmony with our flora and fauna since the last ice age – of course, they also eat many of the same things – but they are on average less than half the weight of a grey, eat much less and are generally much less destructive. Reds were being driven to extinction, that is until passionate volunteers in the north of England showed, over the last 20 years, that if they carried out grey control, the reds could survive and indeed thrive. This work has now been extended to other areas of the UK. Reds have been in steep decline predominately due to the greys which are territoriality aggressive and out-compete them for food – plus greys carry, but yet are immune to the squirrel pox virus, which the reds are highly susceptible to. It is estimated that there are less than 140,000 reds left in the UK. There are none left in the wild in the South West, but in East Devon Escot Park has built a walk through ¾ acre safe haven for reds, protected by a sheet metal circumference, which squirrels can’t climb. This was completed in 2010 and is completely free for visitors to visit. (there are other native species to visit, and gardens, for which there is a charge – www.wildwoodescot.org)


Figure 4 Red Squirrel on tree

Red Squirrel South West was formed as a charity ultimately to return red squirrels to the peninsular but also to provide a national, and international non-political forum for reds – www.britishredsquirrel.org We need to build connectivity in the South West – a tide of contacts and volunteers to achieve a suitable environment for the return of our reds. It is working in the Borders where more and more people are realising that they really can help to save this iconic native mammal – and they have a straight line to defend across Cumbria, North Yorkshire and Northumberland. We have a peninsular with sea on two sides – let’s do it!


Figure 5 Red Squirrel talk>

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Lyrical, poignant and insightful.’ - Margaret Atwood

This is my story; a journey defined by my love for these extraordinary creatures. Because large or small, brown, patterned or jewelled, there is something about birds that makes us, even for just moments at a time, lift our eyes away from our lives and up to the skies.

Buy Book

Lyrical, poignant and insightful.’ - Margaret Atwood

This is my story; a journey defined by my love for these extraordinary creatures. Because large or small, brown, patterned or jewelled, there is something about birds that makes us, even for just moments at a time, lift our eyes away from our lives and up to the skies.

Buy Book

Find Out More

To find out more about working with me or to buy my book, please use the links below.

Work With MeBuy Book

Women March and sexism in birding

Posted on by Mya-Rose Craig

Birdgirl Blog

Women March and sexism in birding

Today we saw millions of people march in the USA, London and across the world in #WomensMarch to protest again Donald Trump bring the 45th President of the USA due to his disgusting, derogatory and dehumanising comments against women and his racism.

This is a day that shows that women will fight back against sexism and I felt it was a good day to re-post my two blog posts about sexism in birding, nature and conservation.

The posts are from Nov 2015 and Jan 2016, but nothing has really changed since the time I wrote the blog posts, except I have organised another Camp Avalon for young birders and Minority ethnic teenagers, a conference about getting Minority Ethnic people into nature called Race Equality and set up Black2Nature.

Please read if you haven’t already bit.ly/2jCGf13 and bit.ly/2kdjI9X.

Person by person, let’s change this world of objectification and misogyny.

Thank you.

 

Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig

 

About The Author

Hi, I’m Dr. Mya-Rose Craig. I am a 19-year-old prominent British-Bangladeshi ornithologist, environmentalist, diversity activist as well as an author, speaker and broadcaster. At age 11 I started the popular blog Birdgirl, and at age 17 I became the youngest person to see half of the birds in the world.

Buy My Book

Lyrical, poignant and insightful.’ - Margaret Atwood

This is my story; a journey defined by my love for these extraordinary creatures. Because large or small, brown, patterned or jewelled, there is something about birds that makes us, even for just moments at a time, lift our eyes away from our lives and up to the skies.

Buy Book

Lyrical, poignant and insightful.’ - Margaret Atwood

This is my story; a journey defined by my love for these extraordinary creatures. Because large or small, brown, patterned or jewelled, there is something about birds that makes us, even for just moments at a time, lift our eyes away from our lives and up to the skies.

Buy Book

Find Out More

To find out more about working with me or to buy my book, please use the links below.

Work With MeBuy Book

Birdgirl’s 30 Days Wild – for diverse communities

Posted on by Mya-Rose Craig

Birdgirl Blog

Birdgirl’s 30 Days Wild – for diverse communities

These are a few of my photographs from my 30 Days Wild last year.

30 Days Wild 2015 – Enjoying the plants in my garden but could be a park
30 Days Wild 2015 – Enjoying local woods but could be in a park
30 Days Wild 2015 – Enjoying the pond-life in my garden but could be a park
30 Days Wild 2015 – Smelling the flowers in my garden but could be in a park
30 Days Wild 2015 – Noticing a bumblebee in my garden but could be in a park
30 Days Wild 2015 – Enjoying a nature reserve but could be a place in the city

Today is the first day of 30 Days Wild 2016, an initiative of The Wildlife Trusts who state “This June, can you do something wild everyday for a month?”

What they are saying is that nature is everywhere, so by looking for it through your normal day, you should start to notice it and enjoy it.

This month is 30 Days Wild 2016, an initiative of The Wildlife Trusts who say “This June, can you do something wild each day for a month?”

They say that they don’t want you to give anything up for June, just give yourself time in the wild with your family, to reconnect with nature. 26,000 people have already signed up, but it would be great if you signed up to taking part at http://bit.ly/1WZnYKW.

This Friday, 3rd June 2016, is also the date of my conference, Race Equality in Nature. This is about getting Black Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) people out into nature http://bit.ly/1TnYiE1

The idea for the conference came after I organised a nature camp last year, Camp Avalon, when five BAME teenagers came along.  The all found it hard to engage with nature in the ways that others did and we had to find a way that made a connection.  Chris Griffin who was leading a birding walk talked to the boys about Peregrine Falcons and how when they dropped to catch their prey, they travelled faster than a Formula 1 car, then comparing both speeds.  The boys were mesmerised – by nature.

I could see that everyone could feel connected to nature, however unlikely by their appearance and background.

So why are there so few BAME people out in nature?  Our reserves, whether they are in the countryside or in the city, have few BAME people visiting.  A recent Government Report shows that BAME children are far less likely to be taken to a even park or playground. There seem to be a huge number of factors effecting BAME people and their ability to go outdoors in the UK (even compared to home countries where maybe people are working outdoors). We hope that the conference will highlight some of these and what can be done to help.

So, for my 30 Days Wild, I have decided to connect with nature each day in a different way, that could feel relevant to BAME communities and practical if you live in an inner city area. Things that they can identify with and so might find it easier to try.  I have been asking for suggestions from a range of communities, so that I can hopefully be inclusive.  It would be brilliant to hear from you with your ideas.< Some of my ideas are:

  • Visiting an open space in a large family group, play rounders and make lots of noise
  • Sit in a park or garden for 10 minutes practicing mindfulness/meditation/using prayer beads
  • For Muslims taking part in Ramadan throughout June, break your fast in a group in a garden or open greenspace (check where’s open in the evening), followed by doing your prayers outside
  • Reading your religious book outside (use a bench as a prop if you need one)
Student Islamic Society on a trip out
A child with autism

Ideas on The Wildlife Trust website include “feel nature through the soles of your feet”.  That sounds pretty universal and so I thought I’d start with that, though of course, most BAME people in the inner city might have to go to a park to feel the grass in their toes.

Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig – 30 days wild day 1
Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig – 30 days wild day 1

About The Author

Hi, I’m Dr. Mya-Rose Craig. I am a 19-year-old prominent British-Bangladeshi ornithologist, environmentalist, diversity activist as well as an author, speaker and broadcaster. At age 11 I started the popular blog Birdgirl, and at age 17 I became the youngest person to see half of the birds in the world.

Buy My Book

Lyrical, poignant and insightful.’ - Margaret Atwood

This is my story; a journey defined by my love for these extraordinary creatures. Because large or small, brown, patterned or jewelled, there is something about birds that makes us, even for just moments at a time, lift our eyes away from our lives and up to the skies.

Buy Book

Lyrical, poignant and insightful.’ - Margaret Atwood

This is my story; a journey defined by my love for these extraordinary creatures. Because large or small, brown, patterned or jewelled, there is something about birds that makes us, even for just moments at a time, lift our eyes away from our lives and up to the skies.

Buy Book

Find Out More

To find out more about working with me or to buy my book, please use the links below.

Work With MeBuy Book

World Shorebird Day – 4-6 Sept 2015

Posted on by Mya-Rose Craig

Birdgirl Blog

World Shorebird Day – 4-6 Sept 2015

As well as being a young birder and conservationist, I am also Ambassador for World Shorebirds Day.

I have chosen to champion World Shorebirds Day because it is an organisation that each September celebrates waders (shorebirds) and those trying to conserve them. Waders often migrate long distances along nine flyways worldwide. They stop off to rest in different places along the flyways, making them vulnerable to habitat disturbance and hunting. This has made many endangered. World Shorebirds Day is to show how important bird surveying is so that people who don’t normally count birds can improve and that the number involved worldwide increases.

Spoon-billed Sandpiper
Photograph copyright Baz Campion

2014 was the first World Shorebirds Day event, with half of the world’s waders being recorded. It would be really great if we can increase the numbers taking part and make it the first huge global birding event.

I have a real connection and love of waders. They are my dad’s favourite bird groups and through years of watching and studying them, he is amazing at identifying them. That love for waders has rubbed off on me.

Read my first blog on the World Shorebirds Day website, http://bit.ly/18UVWu4 and register to take part, where ever you live in the world.

Hudsonian Godwit, Meare Heath, Somerset Levels
Photograph taken by Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig

About The Author

Hi, I’m Dr. Mya-Rose Craig. I am a 19-year-old prominent British-Bangladeshi ornithologist, environmentalist, diversity activist as well as an author, speaker and broadcaster. At age 11 I started the popular blog Birdgirl, and at age 17 I became the youngest person to see half of the birds in the world.

Buy My Book

Lyrical, poignant and insightful.’ - Margaret Atwood

This is my story; a journey defined by my love for these extraordinary creatures. Because large or small, brown, patterned or jewelled, there is something about birds that makes us, even for just moments at a time, lift our eyes away from our lives and up to the skies.

Buy Book

Lyrical, poignant and insightful.’ - Margaret Atwood

This is my story; a journey defined by my love for these extraordinary creatures. Because large or small, brown, patterned or jewelled, there is something about birds that makes us, even for just moments at a time, lift our eyes away from our lives and up to the skies.

Buy Book

Find Out More

To find out more about working with me or to buy my book, please use the links below.

Work With MeBuy Book

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