Broadening Participation in the Life Sciences: Current Landscape and Future Directions

B roadening participation" and related terms such as "diversity," "inclusion," and "equity" mean many things to different people. For this special issue, we defined the term "broadening participation" to mean efforts that develop talent and promote the inclusion of students and scientists from all social backgrounds in all levels of the life sciences (K-12 through postdoctoral training, early-career independence, and senior leadership). The topic of broadening participation is often accompanied by controversy and concerns about nonmeritocratic decision making and the diminution of quality and rigor. It is our vision that the results of broadening participation efforts would be a vibrant scientific enterprise that continues to harness the contributions of those from traditionally well-represented backgrounds while fostering full participation and engagement of those from other backgrounds (e.g., women, racial and ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, sexual and gender minorities, first-generation students, those from low-income backgrounds).