On September 22, 2020, the US president signed an Executive Order on race and sex stereotyping, specifically identifying programs at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL). In response, the Materials Research Society (MRS) issued the following statement:
Diversity, Egalitarianism and Inclusion are fundamental values of the Materials Research Society. As an organization, we also stand firm against racism, discrimination and inequality. Because of these beliefs, we are opposed to the Administration's recently released Executive Order on Race and Sex Stereo-typing that would ban the very type of diversity and equality training needed to value the contributions of everyone in the scientific community and to engage all talent to improve the quality of life through scientific discovery.
As part of ANL's commitment to diversity and inclusion, the Lab offers resources to managers about unconscious biases in hiring “so these perceptions can be identified and countered,” according to their diversity statement on the Lab's website.
Similarly, SNL values diversity and inclusion, and has recently received recognition from the Profiles in Diversity Journal for its efforts in inclusive leadership and transformative change. “Leaders who attended the training report a change in attitude and behaviors,” according to the journal, a quarterly publication dedicated to promoting and advancing diversity and inclusion in the corporate, government, nonprofit, STEM, and higher education sectors.
