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The Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography Multicultural Program (ASLOMP) began in 1990 as an effort to diversify participation in the aquatic sciences, with particular emphasis on increasing the number of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) in the field (Cuker, 2001, 2005, 2007). It was evident to anyone attending an ASLO meeting, or that of any other aquatic scientific society in the 1980s that BIPOC were essentially absent. The ranks of related academicians, agency workers, and students mirrored that absence of diversity. This was consistent with data gathered by the National Science Foundation (NSF) indicating that only 3% of doctorates earned in 1990 in the Earth, atmospheric, and ocean sciences were earned by underrepresented minorities (NSF, 1994). Acting on this information, the ASLO leadership constructed a program that would bring diverse students interested in the aquatic sciences to its annual meetings for special programming aimed at recruiting and retaining BIPOC in the aquatic and allied sciences and applied to NSF for funding. 

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are voluntary, employee-led groups that engage in activities designed to foster a diverse, equitable, inclusive, accessible, and just (DEIAJ) workplace within the organizations they serve. ERGs have become increasingly relevant, helping to promote a sense of belonging among groups who identify along a variety of marginalized identities. Effective ERGs help leadership gain critical insights into the challenges certain groups face, assisting with retention and employee engagement. ERGs create safe spaces for members to speak truths and offer a collective voice around shared interests as well as a place to hone professional skills. Leveraging ERGs can help agencies achieve the DEIAJ goals mandated in several US Presidential Executive Orders (E.O. 13985, 2021; E.O. 14035, 2021). NOAA plays a critical role in influencing scientific communities and provides a unique opportunity to highlight actionable steps to enhance DEIAJ in these important spaces. NOAA is home to over 10 outstanding, award-winning ERGs. This article highlights successful aspects of NOAA’s ERGs and how various features may translate to other institutions and agencies seeking to improve DEIAJ in the workplace. 

Chemical defense against predators is widespread in natural ecosystems. Occasionally, taxonomically distant organisms share the same defense chemical. Here, we describe an unusual tripartite marine symbiosis, in which an intracellular bacterial symbiont (“ Candidatus Endobryopsis kahalalidefaciens”) uses a diverse array of biosynthetic enzymes to convert simple substrates into a library of complex molecules (the kahalalides) for chemical defense of the host, the alga Bryopsis sp., against predation. The kahalalides are subsequently hijacked by a third partner, the herbivorous mollusk Elysia rufescens , and employed similarly for defense. “ Ca . E. kahalalidefaciens” has lost many essential traits for free living and acts as a factory for kahalalide production. This interaction between a bacterium, an alga, and an animal highlights the importance of chemical defense in the evolution of complex symbioses.