Barira Rashid, a doctoral student and graduate research assistant in biological and agricultural engineering and geosciences at the U of A, was awarded the inaugural Diversity and Representation scholarship from GeoScienceWorld. Rashid's winning essay has been published in the nonprofit's journal Lithosphere, and she will also receive a cash prize of $5,000.

You can read Rashid's award-winning essay for free.

The nonprofit's Diversity and Representation Award is a new annual scholarship program that aims to lower barriers to participation for graduate students from historically marginalized communities in the earth sciences, planetary or earth science-adjacent degree programs.

"I am extremely honored to receive the GSW Diversity and Representation Award. It feels like a validation of my journey but also a hope for countless young women who may be grappling with their own aspirations in the sciences," Rashid said.

According to the Geological Society of America, women of color represent less than 1.5 percent of geoscience degrees and less than 1 percent of geoscience faculty positions, making them significantly underrepresented in the field.

"As a Pakistani woman in a field predominantly dominated by white men, I've often felt like an outsider, a minority whose voice might be overlooked or dismissed. But this award is a resounding affirmation that the perspectives, experiences and contributions of all groups matter," Rashid said.

Currently, Rashid is actively engaged in research at the Science and Technologies for Phosphorus Sustainability Center, collaborating with Becca Muenich, U of A associate professor of biological and agricultural engineering, on mapping animal feeding operations using machine learning methods. In addition, she is a graduate research assistant in Muenich's Lab Group.

In a recent publication by GeoScienceWorld, CEO Phoebe McMellon shared, "We are delighted to recognize Barira for her unique perspective, resilience and dedication to promoting diversity and inclusion in the field of earth sciences."

The nonprofit believes that more needs to be done to highlight these diverse viewpoints to foster an inclusive environment crucial to attracting and retaining geoscientists from historically excluded identities.

---

About GSW: GeoScienceWorld works with societies, institutions and researchers around the world. It provides a single access source to preeminent scholarly journals and eBooks with specialized and map-based search capabilities and links to a broad scope of curated earth science research. The platform includes over 50 preeminent scholarly journals, 2,400 eBooks, and over 4.5 million GeoRef records. Now celebrating its 20th anniversary, GeoScienceWorld has returned nearly $60 million to membership societies to achieve their scientific missions since its founding.