AIRCRAFT’s Access and Engagement (AE), formerly known as Diversity and Culture of Inclusion (DCI) strategy is designed to strengthen engagement with all populations that are impacted by this innovative ERC. This includes externally facing programs that introduce prospective students and professionals to the opportunities available. It also includes internally facing programs that apply the best practices related to team science and convergent research. AIRCRAFT engages with and deliberately facilitates access to a wide range of individuals, including students, teachers, faculty, aviation industry leaders, community organizations. The AE program includes:
Externally Facing Programs:
- Close alignment and integration with Research Thrust 4:
- Address all levels of the human dimension related to AIRCRAFT research
- Identification of engagement opportunities:
- Assess demographics of AIRCRAFT participation and measure progress toward a critical mass of engaged communities
- Conduct annual survey to ensure quality assurance
- Recruitment of talent:
- Create a framework to welcome a new population of transdisciplinary research leaders, technology implementers, and entrepreneurs
- Include evidence-based and intentional programming to support all talent that integrates and strengthens convergent research efforts across all institutions
- Demonstrated commitment:
- Foster clear relationships and goals to support and develop community partnerships
- Establish suitable metrics to assess AIRCRAFT goals and apply formative evaluation results to ensure goals are met
Internally Facing Programs:
- Collaboration plan:
- Document rationale, readiness, functioning, communication, leadership, management, administration, approach to conflict, training, quality improvement, and resource allocation
- Team development:
- Engage team with Cliftons Strengths for self-reflection and to foster trust
- Revisit and revise collaboration plan as the team evolves
- Work with Research Thrust 4 to explore opportunities for new insights
- Shared leadership training:
- Facilitate focused training session at project kickoff meeting and annually thereafter
- Ongoing communications & quarterly meetings focused on team dyamics
