Black in Marine Science (BIMS) Week offers an unparalleled opportunity for Black scientists in the Marine Science world to network, collaborate, and celebrate their achievements. Hosted by Black in Marine Science (BIMS), an innovative nonprofit organization that raises awareness of Black contributions in this crucial discipline, BIMS Week attracts researchers from around the world for an informative and joyous gathering in a gorgeous location.
BIMS Week Is Coming To San Diego
This year’s BIMS Week took place in San Diego, California, from Sunday, December 1, until Saturday, December 7, 2024. Attendees stayed at the luxurious Paradise Point Resort, where they could enjoy bungalows nestled between tropical gardens and lagoons.
The official schedule for BIMS Week started with a Reggae-themed kick-off party on the first evening, with sessions beginning the next day. Many of these were grouped around themes that offer relevant events throughout the week.
For instance, the Joyful Leader Series featured workshops on healing through joy, incorporating joy into one’s leadership style, and building a joyous community, among other things. Another series, entitled “eDNA Think Tank,” stimulated collaboration among researchers who are interested in using this emerging technology, which can detect the presence of organisms in ecosystems under review.
BIMS Week also featured other fun activities like kayaking, scuba diving, painting, and dancing, as well as a swimsuit fashion show, a comedy show, and a film festival, to name just a few of the special events that took place. Numerous wellness activities were also planned, such as sound bath performances, massages, Reiki sessions, walking meditation, and yoga classes, culminating with a lavish ball for the conference’s last event.
Keynote Addresses From Inspiring Speakers
Three exciting keynote speakers were slated to address the conference.
Dr. Dawn Wright, the eminent Chief Scientist at the Environmental Systems Research Institute (Esri) and former Professor of Geography and Oceanography at Oregon State University, delivered a keynote address on the morning of Monday, December 2. Dr. Wright is famous for being the first Black female to visit the ocean floor, having descended into the deep submersible Alvin in 1991. She is also the first Black person to have journeyed to the deepest place on the planet, Challenger Deep, and successfully conducted sonar scans there.
Author and activist Christian Cooper addressed the assembly on Wednesday, December 4, as the second keynote speaker for BIMS Week. If you remember a 2020 incident in Central Park in which a white woman falsely accused a black birdwatcher of threatening her and her dog, then you’ll likely remember Christian Cooper, the avian enthusiast in question.
Since that incident, Cooper has hosted a National Geographic show called “Extraordinary Birder,” which won him a Daytime Emmy Award in the Outstanding Daytime Personality category. He has also written a memoir entitled “Better Living Through Birding: Notes from a Black Man in the Natural World,” which Random House published in 2023 and became a New York Times bestseller. Notably, Cooper’s experience during the Central Park birdwatching incident presented one of the inciting incidents that led to the founding of BIMS.
The third keynote speaker was Mogamat Shamier Magmoet, an underwater documentary filmmaker from South Africa, who spoke on the morning of Friday, December 6. Magmoet directed and produced the 2020 film “My Rise From the Cape Flats,” which has earned seven prestigious awards. He is also a free diver, scuba diver, and National Geographic Explorer.
Bims’ Mission To Amplify Black Scientists’ Voices
Each year, BIMS Week plays an essential role in fulfilling BIMS’ mission to amplify Black voices in Marine Science.
While Black minds have long been responsible for some of the most exciting advances in Marine Science, the truth is they don’t always get the credit they deserve. As Harvard Business Review explains, “History reveals how scientific practices have been used to justify systemic racism. Further, the exclusion of Black scientists from institutions, the failure to recognize contributions of Black scientists, and the lack of culturally relevant scientific curricula perpetuate the underrepresentation of Black people and their perspectives in science.”
To address these longstanding problems, BIMS supports Black scientists and the Black community within the discipline of marine science.
Along with organizing BIMS Week, BIMS offers a program called BIMS Tidal Wave that provides Black researchers with funding and training to enable them not only to participate in major Marine Science conferences but also to shine there. (Yes, the BIMS Tidal Wave class of 2024 also attended BIMS Week in San Diego.) This year’s Tidal Wave program was open to people at all stages of their careers, from undergraduates just starting out to professors and researchers with established reputations.
Additionally, the organization maintains not one but three YouTube channels. The first, “BIMS Bites,” posts five-minute videos of Black scientists discussing Marine Science every Friday at 10 a.m. Pacific Standard Time (1 p.m. Eastern Standard Time). The second, “BIMS Bites-Kids,” features short videos appropriate for children. A new video in this series becomes available every Saturday at 8:00 a.m. Pacific / 11:00 a.m. Eastern. The third, “BIMS Dives,” offers hour-long videos in which a prominent Black scientist takes questions about urgent problems related to the ocean. These videos stream live on the final Friday of each month, starting at 3:00 p.m. Pacific / 6:00 p.m. Eastern.
Level Up Your Career At BIMS Week
If you’re a Black student or researcher in Marine Science, then consider leveling up your career by attending BIMS Week next year in 2025. Imagine connecting with smart people who, just like you, care about the oceans, stimulating your mind with fascinating new ideas. Seize the opportunity, join the BIMS community, and give yourself an experience you’ll never forget!
Published by Elle G
