Rubin Observatory enforces the AURA Harassment and Code of Conduct Policy. Harassment and unprofessional conduct (including the use of offensive language) of any kind is not permitted at any time and should be reported per the instructions in the Reporting section of this page.

Our Principles

Rubin Observatory adheres to the following principles with the aim of providing a welcoming and supportive learning environment at Rubin meetings that produces rigor and excellence.

• Kindness

Acting with and encouraging kindness welcomes and strengthens individuals, relationships, and communities.

• Trust

A welcoming and collaborative environment is best achieved when there is mutual trust, based upon honest behavior, throughout the community.

• Respect

We honor alternate viewpoints as opportunities for discussion and learning, and therefore treat others with respect, even if we disagree.

• Diversity

In a diverse community, differences between people are recognized and acknowledged as assets. Our community is stronger, more creative, and more innovative because it is fueled by a broad range of ideas and perspectives contributed by people of different backgrounds. We welcome contributions from people no matter who they are or where they come from.

• Inclusiveness

Rubin recognizes the importance of actively including and encouraging involvement from all corners; diverse contributions will only happen if all members feel empowered to participate. Quoting from the AAS guidelines: "Scientists should work to provide an environment that encourages the free expression and exchange of scientific ideas.  They should promote equality of opportunity and fair treatment for all their colleagues, regardless of gender, race, ethnic and national origin, religion, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, veteran status, etc. Scientific ability must be respected wherever it is found."

Guidelines for Engagement

Participants are advised to be mindful and respectful of cultural differences between participants. People in the Rubin community come from many countries with very different cultural backgrounds and languages, and it is every participant’s duty to make sure everybody feels welcome.

Guidelines given to presenters encourage them to use color palettes and fonts that are suitable for color-blind and dyslexic participants. Dedicated Slack channels and social platforms with a dedicated hashtag will help people to follow essential parts of the discussions; this meeting's hashtag is #rubin2025. 

The Rubin 2025 organizers firmly reject all kinds of abusive behavior. The organizers have worked towards providing a welcoming, safe environment that encourages the free expression and exchange of ideas of all the participants. Every attendee is expected to make their individual contribution towards a respectful meeting climate. Any discriminatory behavior against colleagues on any basis will not be tolerated during any Rubin Observatory event.

Reporting bullying, harassment, or aggression at Rubin 2025

The Rubin 2025 Organizing Committee has appointed three points of contact to act as the designated contact people for reporting instances of bullying, harassment, or aggression.

The contact person can advise participants on how to deal with hostile situations and incidents. In the case that an event is reported, and with the approval of the reporting person, the designated contact person will approach the offending person(s) to discuss how their behavior is causing distress to other participants and remind them of the code of conduct applicable to all participants. If more serious measures are needed, the designated contact person should inform the reporting person(s) of the procedure to follow in these cases.

Should a participant witness events of bullying, harassment, or aggression, the recommendation is to contact the person who suffered the abuse to show support, ask how they are doing, and possibly suggest that they talk to one of the designated contact people. The decision to approach the contact person should, however, ultimately be left to the person who suffered the abuse.

Rules of Engagement

The following are a few basic social rules, adapted from those of the Recurse Center. These rules make explicit certain norms of social behavior that help uphold our principles stated in the Code of Conduct above. If you mess up on any of the below, don’t panic: we all make mistakes sometimes. Apologize, reflect, move forward. If someone points out that you have engaged in this behavior, it can be tempting to become defensive—but instead, apologize, reflect a moment, and move on.

No -isms
We explicitly ban any form of bias—whether these behaviors are overt or subtle. Subtle biases can be particularly tricky, as they are often unconscious behaviors we engage in by mistake and are sometimes caused by conflicting norms between cultures. To use an example from Recurse, saying "It's so easy my grandmother could do it" is a subtle bias. Refrain from equating any category of people to a specific behavior.

Raise All Voices
During sessions and discussions, pay attention to who is contributing. Chairs are encouraged to be conscious of their biases and avoid preferentially selecting some people and/or paying attention to only some parts of the room. Discreetly invite contributions from quieter members of the group, making sure you are not embarrassing them or drawing undesirable attention (ask "what do junior people think" or "people from smaller colleges" for example) and be conscientious of not dominating the conversation. We understand that it can be exciting to discuss a new idea, but always strive to listen (rather than just wait your turn to speak).

Take time to explain and do not belittle others
In an environment where participants have different backgrounds and knowledge, it is very important that people feel comfortable saying “I don’t know” or “I don’t understand.” Therefore, please do not act surprised when someone says they don’t know something, whether it is regarding a technical or non-technical subject (e.g. “What?! I can’t believe you don’t know what X is!”). Quoting from Recurse: "Feigning surprise has absolutely no social or educational benefit—instead, take time to explain so that all can follow and participate in the conversation.”

Choose constructive, rather than demeaning reactions
It is important to respect others' contributions. Positive and constructive reactions encourage discourse, while demeaning reactions discourage it. If you receive demeaning reactions during the course of the meeting, you should feel free to bring it up directly with the person, or if it’s more comfortable, point out the behavior to the meeting organizers or one of the designated contacts mentioned in the reporting section above.

Critique ideas, not people or communities