Marine science has typically lacked diversity. Francis Chan is working steadily to change that. The 2024 Outstanding Diversity Advocate Award recipient, Chan collaborates across Oregon State and beyond to create education and career opportunities for students of color, particularly Black and Indigenous students.
Chan, director of the Cooperative Institute of Marine Ecosystem and Resources Studies and an associate professor of integrative biology in the College of Science, has partnered with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to recruit students for research and internships, opening career pathways while helping to build a diverse and inclusive workforce of federal scientists and managers.
Chan has worked extensively with the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Summer Bridge program, bringing 60 LSAMP students to meet with NOAA career scientists. In addition, CIMERS is supporting four LSAMP Summer Bridge students in the NOAA Hollings Prep Program, a 6-week paid internship for first-year undergraduates that gives them a broad overview of marine science. Chan also helped expand IN FISH, the Inclusive NOAA Fisheries Internship Program, to the West Coast, recruiting 15 undergraduates for this 10-week paid internship. And through CIMERS, Chan has provided stipends to two students in the New Beginnings for Tribal Students program.
Bob Cowen, director of the Hatfield Marine Sciences Center, wrote in nominating Chan that “one very key point to raise is that these efforts taken by Francis are innate. He does it because he believes it, not because it is part of his job or an expectation from society.”
And believing in the value of diversity is proven with every student.
The Outstanding Inclusive Excellence Advocate Award is awarded to a member of the Oregon State University community who actively promotes and enhances diversity, equity and inclusion. The awardee contributes to and advances the mission of OSU through consistent and sustained efforts to improve opportunities for the diverse communities we serve.