Code of Conduit Biometal Events

The Biometal Intl Organizing Committee developed this Code of Conduct to communicate our common understanding of basic values and rules for respectful cooperation and communication. These guidelines apply to everyone, regardless of their level or field of experience, gender or gender identity, age, national origin or nationality, cultural background, religious creed, sexual orientation, family status, and health condition. The purpose of the Code of Conduct is to identify the core ethical values for conducting research within the Biometal community, to establish an example, and to develop this further within the wider Biomaterials community. We encourage all Biometal attendees, online or onsite, to implement and transmit the values of the Code of Conduct within and outside the Biometal environment such as within their working groups, research departments, and institutes.

VALUE OF INTERNATIONALISM AND INTERCULTURALISM

We desire and value a highly international and intercultural research community bringing in different perspectives on scientific questions, research methods, and experimental set-ups for the improvement of our research. We endeavor to develop and maintain respectful cooperation by acting and communicating in culturally sensitive ways within and outside the research community.

TRANSPARENCY IN RESEARCH OUTPUT

The research follows ethical principles, not only with respect to the way it is conducted but also with respect to the research output. We, therefore, follow important guidelines, for example, the fulfillment of regulations regarding (co)-authorship on publications and the FAIR* principle of data availability and access.
*FAIR data = findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable.

VALUE OF DIVERSITY AND INDIVIDUALISM

We encourage and acknowledge the importance of diversity in research teams by fostering staff with different backgrounds, ways of living, beliefs, and nature to bring in diversified experiences, research ideas, and ways to organize work and communicate. A diverse working environment supports an open exchange of individual ideas and the development of diverse practices to improve the cooperation between scientists and advance research.

CAREER DEVELOPMENT

Early career scientists at the graduate and postgraduate levels are encouraged to participate, discuss, and network with established scientists during our activities to discuss, exchange, question training, and structured career support. Career development support is expected from supervisors, mentors, principal investigators, and all other academic, industrial, and governmental officers in leading positions.

Individuals who participate (or plan to participate) in the Biometal Scientific Meeting should conduct themselves at all times in a manner that comports with both the letter and spirit of this policy prohibiting harassment and abusive behavior, whether before, during, or after the event. This includes statements made in social media postings, online publications, text messages, chat rooms, posting screenshots without permission, and all other forms of electronic communication.

ZERO TOLERANCE FOR UNJUST TREATMENT AND HARASSMENT

Everyone shall be treated equally and fairly. Specific individual requirements such as different levels of familiarity with the International Scientific System, different levels of experience, various language capacities, and confidentiality obligations should be taken into consideration in our discussions and expectations of each other. Discrimination, mobbing, and sexual harassment are under no circumstances tolerated in all working environments, including sessions, social activities, and formal and less formal meetings. Everyone shall be free to speak up about inappropriate and unjust behavior or make use of the formal (anonymous) channels provided by our lobby desk. Serious cases can lead to official complaint procedures.

SUGGESTIONS TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATION IN ONLINE ENVIRONMENTS

Embrace joy and humor
Smile and be welcoming if you chose to use your camera
Make efforts to build new connections
Use inclusive and appropriate language
Embrace different communication styles and dialogues about science
Being open to suggestions and feedback
Being purposeful in allowing equitable time allowed for underrepresented voices

Avoid gendered pronouns, gendered terms, and heteronormative* statements in presentations
Being understanding of the current online environment is also family space for many participants
External interruptions, muting and unmuting, and unstable Internet are all realities that need to be addressed with patience and good humor

UNACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOR

Biometal specifically prohibits posting conference materials, screenshots of chat room discussions or comments, questions, photos of posters, or recordings of the conference outside of our event or virtual space without consent. Online and onsite events need to be safe and open spaces for discussions.

Violence and threats of violence. Incitement of violence towards any individual.
Derogatory comments related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, mental illness, neuro(a) typicality, physical appearance, body size, race, religion, or socio-economic status.

Posting or threatening to post other people’s personal info, or identifying information.
Use of social or mainstream media to target individuals in a way that could harm their privacy and/or reputation.

Deliberate misgendering such as not using a person’s preferred pronouns.
Inappropriate photography or recording.
Unwelcome sexual attention. This includes sexualized comments or jokes; inappropriate and unwelcome sexual advances.
Deliberate intimidation, stalking, or following (online or in person).
Sustained disruption of community events, including talks and presentations.
Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior.

We wish each and everyone a very enriching, fruitful, and pleasant event!