CROSS-CUTTING PRINCIPLES

The National Sea Grant College Program Strategic Plan defines cross-cutting principles as a foundation for all focus areas and the work Sea Grant conducts. Recognizing these principles enhances Sea Grant’s capabilities for meeting future national needs. MIT Sea Grant works towards advancing these principles:

1. Cultivate and sustain partnerships by integrating the expertise and capabilities of partners from international, federal, tribal, state, and local communities, and from academia, nongovernmental organizations, and industry.
2. Embrace Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, and Accessibility (DEIJA) by integrating diverse perspectives, to advance cultural understanding and enable the network to pursue its vision and mission among all audiences. We will actively create mechanisms to facilitate diverse participation in network activities. MIT Sea Grant will tackle problems facing coastal communities by utilizing a range of perspectives, values, and tools to develop solutions that are more innovative, creative, inclusive and responsive.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, and Accessibility Statement

The mission of MIT Sea Grant is to promote the sustainable development of coastal and marine resources, connect communities with science, and rise to meet ocean-related challenges. In meeting these challenges through innovative technical contributions and a commitment to scientific research, we continue to gain understanding about our ocean and coasts, as well as our communities.

As expressed through the Community of Practice on Inclusion and Diversity, Sea Grant empowers coastal communities to be resilient in the face of change. MIT Sea Grant’s success in providing valued research, education, and outreach is dependent on adapting to the needs of an evolving coastal population and changing social climate.

Both MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering and the National Sea Grant College Program have developed diversity and equity working groups to ensure the advancement of these values. Diversity and inclusion are highlighted as “cross-cutting principles” in the National Sea Grant
Strategic Plan. These principles – to seek and welcome diverse perspectives in order to enhance cultural understanding and better serve  communities – are echoed in the MIT Sea Grant Strategic Plan as we strive to proactively engage, reflect, and serve diverse populations of communities, researchers, students, and stakeholders.

From leading ocean engineering programs with MIT’s Office of Minority Education, to recruiting students through the National Sea Grant  Community Engaged Internships initiative, MIT Sea Grant has a strong history of supporting students and educators from minority and  underserved communities. We also work to establish a diverse and skilled workforce and collaborative infrastructure needed to protect our resources and the people who depend on them.

MIT Sea Grant is committed to maintaining an unbiased, equal opportunity environment in which all voices in our community are valued and respected in an ever-changing and increasingly diverse world.

>>Read more in MIT Sea Grant Strategic Plan (2024-2027)