Exposure to Atmospheric Science in Courses at Minority-Serving Institutions

ABSTRACT One remedy proposed for the shortage of underrepresented minorities (URMs) in atmospheric science is greater collaboration between graduate programs in atmospheric science and minority-serving institutions (MSIs). However, if URMs have few opportunities to take relevant coursework at MSIs, then they are unlikely to pursue graduate study in atmospheric science and other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. An earlier perusal of MSIs indicated that such opportunities were limited, but in the present study, a content analysis of courses offered at 180 MSIs found that 91% offered at least one course including content on atmospheric science, and that 4-yr institutions typically offered nearly four such courses. URMs who gravitate to atmospheric science careers also are influenced by courses that are inquiry based, relevant to their experiences, and emphasize discussion of implications for climate change and public policy. Half of the MSI courses related to atmospheric science at 4-yr universities incorporated some content on human–environment relationships and 11.4% focused on policy implications. Thus, most MSIs do provide opportunities for underrepresented minority students to delve into atmospheric science as well as the human dimensions of geosciences more broadly.

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“Looking at Myself in the Future”: how mentoring shapes scientific identity for STEM students from underrepresented groups

International Journal of STEM Education ◽

10.1186/s40594-020-00242-3 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Kaitlyn Atkins ◽

Bryan M. Dougan ◽

Michelle S. Dromgold-Sermen ◽

Hannah Potter ◽

Viji Sathy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Career Pathways ◽

Underrepresented Minority ◽

Stem Fields ◽

Underrepresented Minority Students ◽

Research Mentorship ◽

Demographic Similarity ◽

Stem Students ◽

And Mathematics ◽

Scientific Identity ◽

The Relationship

Abstract Background Mentorship has been well-established in the literature as fostering scientific identity and career pathways for underrepresented minority students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Mentorship is prioritized by programs that aim to increase diversity and support future leadership in STEM fields, but in-depth understanding of mentorship in these contexts remains limited. Drawing on qualitative interview data, we sought to understand the relationship between mentoring and scientific identity among a diverse sample of 24 students in one such program, in order to inform program development. Results Qualitative analysis of the data revealed that mentorship, especially research mentorship, was common and played a role in formation of scientific identity. Students with research mentors tended to say they strongly identified as scientists, whereas those who lacked research mentorship varied in their level of scientific identity. In interviews, research-mentored students described mentors as colleagues who gave them opportunities to grow and as examples to look up to. Students valued mentors with whom they identified on the basis of demographic similarity or shared values, as well as those who challenged them in their academic and research endeavors. Conclusions Our analysis highlights how different mentoring experiences can contribute to development of future STEM leadership. We discuss implications for practice, including the need for tailored mentoring approaches and research-focused mentoring, and offer several recommendations for research and programming.

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The influence of expressive and instrumental social capital from parents on women and underrepresented minority students’ declaration and persistence in engineering majors

International Journal of STEM Education ◽

10.1186/s40594-021-00277-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ellen Puccia ◽

Julie P. Martin ◽

Chrystal A. S. Smith ◽

Gladis Kersaint ◽

Rebecca Campbell-Montalvo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Capital ◽

Minority Students ◽

Transition To Adulthood ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

White Women ◽

Underrepresented Minority ◽

Engineering Majors ◽

Underrepresented Minority Students ◽

Parental Encouragement ◽

And Mathematics

Abstract Background Social capital, defined as the people one knows and the resources available through that network of people, has been a key variable in research examining the participation of women and underrepresented minority students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This study focuses on two types of social capital: instrumental (concrete advice and resources) and expressive (emotional support and encouragement). The analysis of interviews with 55 White women and women and men underrepresented minority engineering undergraduate students shows how the instrumental and expressive social capital received from parents influenced their students’ declaration of and persistence in the engineering major. Within this analysis, we considered students’ transition to adulthood and the corresponding expectation that parents would still provide support but allow their children to independently determine their own paths. Results Participants shared the advice they received from people in their social networks, with the majority of participants highlighting parents as a major contributor of instrumental and expressive social capital. Instrumental social capital was helpful in students’ major declarations and offered them an opportunity to further develop their interests and aptitude in STEM as well as a pathway for obtaining an engineering degree. During the first year of their engineering major, students relied heavily on the expressive social capital of parents when considering whether to stay in engineering; parental encouragement of “you can do it” became a common resource. Conclusions These findings offer nuance to explanations of social capital’s influence on STEM degree major declaration and persistence, which often use deficit approaches. In highlighting the resources of social capital, especially expressive support, this work offers educators a new frame of reference for building upon the valuable advice offered by parents to their children completing engineering majors.

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Minority Recruitment and Retention Among Gifted Students

Strategies for Increasing Diversity in Engineering Majors and Careers - Advances in Higher Education and Professional Development ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-2212-6.ch002 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 26-41

Author(s):

Chandra A. Stallworth ◽

Ken D. Thomas

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Minority Students ◽

Gifted Students ◽

Underrepresented Minorities ◽

Underrepresented Minority ◽

Academic Goals ◽

National Goal ◽

Honors College ◽

Underrepresented Minority Students ◽

School Year

Consistent with the national goal implemented by our current government, Auburn University is also working to recruit and retain underrepresented minorities in higher education. The rationale for this is simple, that is to allow a greater advantage when competing against others. One of the ways to foster this competition is by nurturing our gifted underrepresented minority students. In the 2010-2011 school year, the Honors College, which serves as a gateway for underrepresented minority students, developed a distinct focus on helping our students reach and their educational/academic goals. Within this paper we will go over some of the steps we have begun to take to reach our goal, in addition to future plans we have to continue these efforts.

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Considering Student Voices: Examining the Experiences of Underrepresented Students in Intervention Programs

CBE—Life Sciences Education ◽

10.1187/cbe.14-06-0103 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 14 (3) ◽

pp. ar28 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Gina Sanchez Gibau

Keyword(s):

Social Adjustment ◽

Underrepresented Students ◽

Intervention Programs ◽

Student Experiences ◽

Critical Examination ◽

Underrepresented Minority ◽

Biomedical Sciences ◽

Underrepresented Minority Students ◽

Program Evaluations ◽

And Mathematics

Qualitative studies that examine the experiences of underrepresented minority students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields are comparatively few. This study explores the self-reported experiences of underrepresented graduate students in the biomedical sciences of a large, midwestern, urban university. Document analysis of interview transcripts from program evaluations capture firsthand accounts of student experiences and reveal the need for a critical examination of current intervention programs designed to reverse the trend of underrepresentation in the biomedical sciences. Findings point to themes aligned around the benefits and challenges of program components, issues of social adjustment, the utility of supportive relationships, and environmental impacts.

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An Initiative to Broaden Diversity in Undergraduate Biomathematics Training

CBE—Life Sciences Education ◽

10.1187/cbe.10-03-0043 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 241-247 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Gregory Goins ◽

Mingxiang Chen ◽

Catherine White ◽

Dominic Clemence ◽

Thomas Redd ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Learning Community ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Academic Career ◽

Community Support ◽

Underrepresented Minorities ◽

State University ◽

Underrepresented Minority ◽

Underrepresented Minority Students ◽

Academic Courses ◽

The Many

At North Carolina A&T State University (NCATSU), there was a critical need to better coordinate genuine research and classroom experiences for undergraduates early in their academic career. We describe the development and implementation of a faculty alliance across academic departments to increase biomathematics research opportunities for underrepresented minorities. Our faculty alliance is called the Integrative Biomathematical Learning and Empowerment Network for Diversity (iBLEND). The fundamental purpose of the iBLEND alliance was to inspire underrepresented minorities to pursue research careers by increasing the visibility of research conducted at the interface of mathematics and biology at NCATSU. Because of the many positive impacts, iBLEND gained significant buy-in from administration, faculty, and students by 1) working from the ground up with administration to promote campus-wide biomathematics research and training, 2) fostering associations between research and regular undergraduate academic courses, 3) creating and disseminating biomathematics teaching and learning modules, and 4) enhancing learning community support at the interface of mathematics and biology. Currently, iBLEND is viewed as a productive site for graduate schools to recruit underrepresented minority students having specific competencies related to mathematical biology.

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Broadening Participation of Women and Underrepresented Minorities in STEM through a Hybrid Online Transfer Program

CBE—Life Sciences Education ◽

10.1187/cbe.16-01-0065 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 15 (3) ◽

pp. ar50 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jennifer C. Drew ◽

Sebastian Galindo-Gonzalez ◽

Alexandria N. Ardissone ◽

Eric W. Triplett

Keyword(s):

Underrepresented Minorities ◽

Science Program ◽

Transfer Program ◽

Underrepresented Minority ◽

University Of Florida ◽

Bachelor Of Science ◽

Science Technology ◽

Participation Of Women ◽

And Mathematics ◽

The University

The Microbiology and Cell Science (MCS) Department at the University of Florida (UF) developed a new model of a 2 + 2 program that uses a hybrid online approach to bring its science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) curriculum to students. In this paradigm, 2-year graduates transfer as online students into the Distance Education in MCS (DE MCS) bachelor of science program. The program has broadened access to STEM with a steadily increasing enrollment that does not draw students away from existing on-campus programs. Notably, half of the DE MCS students are from underrepresented minority (URM) backgrounds and two-thirds are women, which represents a greater level of diversity than the corresponding on-campus cohort and the entire university. Additionally, the DE MCS cohort has comparable retention and academic performance compared with the on-campus transfer cohort. Of those who have earned a BS through the DE MCS program, 71% are women and 61% are URM. Overall, these data demonstrate that the hybrid online approach is successful in increasing diversity and provides another viable route in the myriad of STEM pathways. As the first of its kind in a STEM field, the DE MCS program serves as a model for programs seeking to broaden their reach.

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Inside the Double Bind: A Synthesis of Empirical Research on Undergraduate and Graduate Women of Color in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

Harvard Educational Review ◽

10.17763/haer.81.2.t022245n7x4752v2 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 81 (2) ◽

pp. 172-209 ◽

Cited By ~ 264

Author(s):

Maria Ong ◽

Carol Wright ◽

Lorelle Espinosa ◽

Gary Orfield

Keyword(s):

Women Of Color ◽

Policy Implications ◽

Underrepresented Minority ◽

Stem Fields ◽

Policy Makers ◽

Science Technology ◽

The Status ◽

Underrepresentation Of Women ◽

And Mathematics ◽

Experiences Of Women

In this article, Maria Ong, Carol Wright, Lorelle Espinosa, and Gary Orfield review nearly forty years of scholarship on the postsecondary educational experiences of women of color in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Their synthesis of 116 works of scholarship provides insight into the factors that influence the retention, persistence, and achievement of women of color in STEM fields. They argue that the current underrepresentation of women of color in STEM fields represents an unconscionable underutilization of our nation's human capital and raises concerns of equity in the U.S. educational and employment systems. They refute the pervasive myth that underrepresented minority women are less interested in pursuing STEM fields and then present a complex portrait of the myriad factors that influence the undergraduate and graduate experiences of women of color in STEM fields. Finally, the authors discuss the policy implications of their findings and highlight gaps in the literature where further research is needed, providing a knowledge base for educators, policy makers, and researchers to continue the mission of advancing the status of women of color in STEM.

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