Science Identity Group 4: Central NM, Delgado, El Paso, Fletcher

Answer ONE (1) or more of these questions:

  • What new insight did you get from the resources on science identity?
  • What have you done to build your students' science identity? Do you have another resource to share about this topic from your discipline?
  • What questions do you have based on these resources?
  • What might you apply and/or adapt in your teaching?

« Activity 5 Discussions

Science Identity Group 4: Central NM, Delgado, El Paso, Fletcher  

Melanie Will-Cole (CNM) post:
I really enjoyed learning and reviewing the science identity topic. I am aware that most under-represented minorities (URM) in STEM have a difficult time viewing themselves as scientists because they are rarely exposed to scientist that they can identify with (i.e. scientists that look like them and/or come from similar backgrounds or had similar challenges, etc.). This situation must be changed if we are to enhance the diversity in STEM. It is critical for students to have science role-models to identify with. I celebrate the idea of “Science Spotlights” which highlighted URM in science. I think the “Geoscience Career Spotlights” presentation is an excellent start. Specifically the “spotlights” provide information focused of the individual’s education-level, type of jobs they hold and their work-functions related to that job. I would like to see this augmented to include successful women (or more broadly URM in STEM) who have been associated with an important IMPACTs in science. For example women who have recently been awarded the Nobel prize (Donna Strickland in Physics, Frances Arnold in Chemistry), Deans of science or engineering departments at prestigious schools (e.g., Emily Carter, dean, School of Engineering and Applied Science, Princeton University) , URMs who have attained the honor of Fellow in the professional societies, innovated great inventions or enabling technologies etc. Identifying with one of these amazing individuals who is associated with a “Science Impact” helps to inspire students who love science to learn more science and to stay in the STEM disciplines. I realize that this is a time-consuming undertaking to gather this data but it is important (maybe some of us should try to do this, I would live to contribute to a project like this).

In my classes I have tried to connect the science discoveries, where possible, with the URM scientists’ in STEM (usually female scientists) who have contributed to and/or created new science knowledge and/or discoveries, i.e. those who made a “Science Impact”. I emphasize to my students that as a physical science, geoscience has many “Fathers”, and we know them well but it is important to also recognize “Geoscience Mothers” who also contributed new knowledge in this field. As an example when I introduce plate tectonics and the interesting features on the ocean floor, after talking about Harry Hess I highlight that Marie Tharp was a geologist and cartographer and with her colleague Bruce Heezen, Tharp was the first to scientifically map the ocean floor. When my students are learning how to calculate spreading rates I highlight that we could not calculate spreading rates in the North Atlantic Ocean basin without Maria Seton’s work on deriving the isochrones from her analysis of marine magnetic anomalies in the North Atlantic Ocean basin.

An excellent book I highly recommend to female science students is “Successful Women Ceramic and Glass Scientists and Engineers: 100 Inspirational Profiles” by Lynnette D. Madsen (Program Director for Ceramics, National Science Foundation). This book features biographies of woman who have made major contributors to the Physical Sciences since the 1920s. The book focuses on successful female scientists from a diversity of backgrounds within different sectors of the workforce who have made Important IMPACTs to their field. It is the only Science Spotlight book that I have seen published to date! Truly an inspiring book!

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Through reading the material posted on the SAGE website, as well as the powerpoints, I have gained a lot of insight regarding how to enhance my students' science identity.

I really like the idea of including "Scientist Spotlights" in class. When I was teaching Intro to Bio for Non-Majors at the University of South Florida (USF), one of first slides I presented to my students included a short activity in which students were asked to list a few traits that they felt were strongly characteristic of scientists. Through this activity, many students identified the stereotypical characteristics of scientists, including being a white male in a lab coat, the "mad scientist", etc. I then followed up this activity by showing a diverse set of scientists, including women, people of color, and those with diverse religious backgrounds. It is my hope that activities like this will help students recognize and embrace the importance of diversity in STEM. I would really like to start incorporating weekly "Scientist Spotlights" to highlight important contributions made by URM in STEM.

One way that I have tried to enhance my students' science identity is by recruiting URM in undergraduate research. As a TA in grad school at USF, I would spend 5-10 minutes on the first day of class talking about my own research. In this discussion, I would talk about my academic history and how I was inspired to pursue research while attending a 2YC. I then talk about some of my most memorable field work experiences, including some of the challenges I've faced throughout my academic journey. I finished these conversations by inviting anyone who is interested in gaining research experience to contact me. Interestingly, a lot of the students that contacted me were female/URM. Of the 8 undegraduate researchers I mentored, 6 were female and 4 went on to grad school and/or completed an undergraduate research thesis/project. Another way that I have tried to promote URM in STEM is through recruitment of URM undergraduates to graduate STEM programs. For example, I was awarded a travel grant through the Alfred P. Sloan Recruitment Program to recruit URM while at the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology conference. Through this travel grant, I had the opportunity to visit with many URM undergraduate students and talk about their future plans in STEM.

Given that I currently work at a 2YC and do not have a research program to recruit to, I would love to hear additional ideas to continue recruitment of URM to STEM.

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1) I appreciate the literature on science identity as I didn’t realize that a student’s perception of “who a scientist is” or “what a science person should be like” could have a profound impact on whether or not they want to be a scientist or to even study science in the first place. I feel that I myself have been guilty of this misconception as an undergraduate I always pictured a scientist as a specific type of individual when in reality after being in science for over a decade I realized that any person no matter their personality can be a scientist or part of a STEM field. Being aware of this misconception is the first step, so the first thing I would do with my students is to bring awareness to this idea.

2) One way that I am currently strengthening my students “science identity” is by incorporating a real-world research project into the undergraduate biology laboratory. I am currently collaborating with a university professor that is helping to incorporate research that she is currently doing at her university into some of the labs at EPCC. These students are now immersed into the world of research and become “scientists” just through their participation in lab. This includes visits by university faculty in research that are able to give them more insight into biology research and what goes on at the university level. These labs are known as CURE labs. (Course Undergraduate Research Experiences) I was also a participant in the QUBES Faculty Mentoring Network in which we used Integrate modules to engage students in the analysis of real data which is one of the resource links for science identity.

3) I would like to know if there were any more action research articles on the use of research in the lab section and whether or not is has proven to be effective in student success or other parameters such as students entering the STEM fields as a result of participating in a research-based laboratory section.

4) I felt that the use of “spotlight scientists” to show how most current scientists do not fit the average mold that most students would expect is a brilliant idea to change the misconception about “what a scientist is like”. I plan to reserve a portion of one of my research labs to show my students (who are mostly minority and female) that scientists aren’t just a typical man but can also be a woman from anywhere in the world as the scientist community is actually extremely diverse compared to most fields.

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What new insight did you get from the resources on science identity?

I must admit that as an instructor, I had not given much thought to the idea that students may not see themselves as scientists because of their gender, identity, race, culture, etc. I am fortunate enough that our institution is lucky to have a lot of these role models across the different disciplines. Something that caught my attention though is the mention that a lot of shows and movies, etc don't really portray scientists in a diverse way. Although not accurate, most students may get their first exposure to scientists and science in this way so I do see the importance of showing that scientists can be of different backgrounds, and that a diverse scientific community can actually incorporate and contribute in a broader and more inclusive way. One particular example that comes to mind is of a grant I recently reviewed in which the tribal council was working closely with the research group that also included tribal members and incorporated some of the native traditions with the research that was being conducted. By having a diverse scientific community not only do diverse and minority individuals get exposed to science but I would argue that science also gets exposed to a more diverse set of ideas and approaches.

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First, let me say, that I really love this topic. For years I have tried to incorporate women geoscientists into my lecture. However, I recognized that I was still doing a disservice to my male students who are in the minority. I want to be sure that I am representing all the students in my class, so they have someone that maybe they can identify with. I started a youtube and facebook page for my students, and for awhile I did a "scientist of the month" post. I interviewed scientists and highlighted them, but it didn't really seem to have an impact on my classroom.

I think the scientist spotlight as homework assignments is a brilliant idea. I was halfway on the right track, but couldn't figure out how to get my students interested and involved. I am definitely going to incorporate the scientist spotlight in my classes. It is a great mental break from the hard science lessons, but it also gets them intrinsically interested in the science at the same time. Since we live in an area where there are a lot of underrepresented minorities, this would be perfect for my classroom. I think trying to do one or two per month would be a great place to start, and test it out. And this is an easy enough exercise that I don't have to wait until next semester to start.

The other thing I think is great about the scientist spotlight - this is easy to integrate in an online environment. This would be a great discussion topic once a month, or even as a separate homework assignment. I am always looking for an activity to enhance my online student's learning experience and help them feel invested in the class. This would be a great thing to add!

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What might you apply and/or adapt in your teaching?

Identifying as a "scientist" has always been an interesting topic. I believe you need to identify if the student has an interest or desire to want to think of themselves as a scientist. I have learned many students have no interest in science for various reasons and this leads to not identifying as a scientist. I find this a difficult concept to accept but try very hard to understand. To me.... science makes the world go round! After reading, watching, and listening to the various resources I would like to incorporate scientists of the week into my weekly or topic lecture. My initial thoughts are to introduce a scientist from the past (1800s early 1900s) and a current day researcher. If I am able I would like to find two scientists both involved topic I am teaching. It will be challenging but I will work out the kinks as I implement the idea.

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Originally Posted by Miguel Vasquez


1) I appreciate the literature on science identity as I didn’t realize that a student’s perception of “who a scientist is” or “what a science person should be like” could have a profound impact on whether or not they want to be a scientist or to even study science in the first place. I feel that I myself have been guilty of this misconception as an undergraduate I always pictured a scientist as a specific type of individual when in reality after being in science for over a decade I realized that any person no matter their personality can be a scientist or part of a STEM field. Being aware of this misconception is the first step, so the first thing I would do with my students is to bring awareness to this idea.

2) One way that I am currently strengthening my students “science identity” is by incorporating a real-world research project into the undergraduate biology laboratory. I am currently collaborating with a university professor that is helping to incorporate research that she is currently doing at her university into some of the labs at EPCC. These students are now immersed into the world of research and become “scientists” just through their participation in lab. This includes visits by university faculty in research that are able to give them more insight into biology research and what goes on at the university level. These labs are known as CURE labs. (Course Undergraduate Research Experiences) I was also a participant in the QUBES Faculty Mentoring Network in which we used Integrate modules to engage students in the analysis of real data which is one of the resource links for science identity.

3) I would like to know if there were any more action research articles on the use of research in the lab section and whether or not is has proven to be effective in student success or other parameters such as students entering the STEM fields as a result of participating in a research-based laboratory section.

4) I felt that the use of “spotlight scientists” to show how most current scientists do not fit the average mold that most students would expect is a brilliant idea to change the misconception about “what a scientist is like”. I plan to reserve a portion of one of my research labs to show my students (who are mostly minority and female) that scientists aren’t just a typical man but can also be a woman from anywhere in the world as the scientist community is actually extremely diverse compared to most fields.



comment from Melanie Will-Cole (CNM)
Hi Miguel,
Once again I resonated with your thoughts on strengthening your students “science identity” by incorporating a real-world research project into the undergraduate biology laboratory. This is awesome! I love that you have found a researcher to collaborate with so that your student’s can become immersed in research and become “scientists” through their participation in your lab. Your students now see themselves as scientists, not just students who like science. I would like to understand and learn more about the CURE labs (Course Undergraduate Research Experiences) you mentioned in your thread. I am also very interested in the QUBES Faculty Mentoring Network that you mentioned whereby you used Integrate modules to engage students in the analysis of real data. Have you performed any evidence-based studies as to the student outcomes from using these modules? Thank you for sharing your thoughts and knowledge.

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Originally Posted by Tina Carrick


What might you apply and/or adapt in your teaching?

Identifying as a "scientist" has always been an interesting topic. I believe you need to identify if the student has an interest or desire to want to think of themselves as a scientist. I have learned many students have no interest in science for various reasons and this leads to not identifying as a scientist. I find this a difficult concept to accept but try very hard to understand. To me.... science makes the world go round! After reading, watching, and listening to the various resources I would like to incorporate scientists of the week into my weekly or topic lecture. My initial thoughts are to introduce a scientist from the past (1800s early 1900s) and a current day researcher. If I am able I would like to find two scientists both involved topic I am teaching. It will be challenging but I will work out the kinks as I implement the idea.



comment from Melanie Will-Cole (CNM)
Hi Tina
I so much agree with you what you stated, i.e., “Science makes the world go round”! Thank you for the idea of incorporating “scientists of the week” into a weekly or topic lecture. I like this idea and I would like to do this with emphasis on the contributions from scientists who were/are under-represented minorities (URMs), esp. women. Unfortunately, I have found that it is quite challenging to locate written accounts of “impactful contributions” by female geoscientists. Trust me I know these contributions exist but it has been quite challenging to find good reputable sources that presents this information for the geosciences. It seems that the geoscience field highlights the fathers of geoscience, but rarely provides acknowledgments to our “geoscience mothers”. Gender is a major issue here, esp., if we desire more women to pursue the physical science disciplines. If you know of any good resources for this I would appreciate your sharing this with us. Thank you for your thoughts!

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Hi

Having been the faculty Undergraduate Advisor in my previous position, I am acutely aware of the lack of representation in STEM, especially in Physics. I spent a lot of time looking up available data and performing statistical analyses for my program at the time. Physics has a great resource in the American Institute of Physics (aip.org) which has a comprehensive section on Statistical Data. I don't know if other national organizations provide similar resources, but it's really useful information on a wide range of topics. (I often download their freely available flyers and show these during the first class of the semester.) I've also heard explicitly how some students feel about being underrepresented. One year, a Presidential Scholarship female student in Physics that I had been in contact with during her application process, met with me on her first day at university and commented that other (male) undergraduate and graduate students were asking if she need directions to another department.

In an effort to reach out to my students, and the issue of Science Identity, during my first class I also show pictures of highly successful underrepresented scientists such as Donna Strickland (as Melanie mentioned) - the first female physics laureate in 55 years - but also my female research collaborators who are tenured professors at colleges around the nation.

It is not surprising to me to find that most of the highest-achieving students in my physics and engineering classes are female. Given that I also continue to work on basic research projects with colleagues at universities and national laboratories, I am in the process of creating opportunities for my students to collaborate with these colleagues. Of course, the first students I talk to are the best students, which, as mentioned above, are mostly female.

Cheers
Leo

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What new insight did you get from the resources on science identity?

As a female minority, this topic is the most meaningful to me. In a graduate school cytology course there was an assignment where we had to study several minority scientists and their contributions to their respective fields. I could not believe that it was the first time I was hearing of some of the scientists. Growing up I was always taught about Dr. Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks, but no one had taken the time to teach me about Ernest Everett Just or Alice Augusta Ball. Although I didn’t have a role model in science to look up to, I believe it is extremely important for students to have that role model. After reading some of the students’ responses from the article, it is evident that seeing visual representation of fscientists who look like the students is a benefit. This is one of those things that I know works as it has for me, but I’ve neglected to incorporate it into my courses. My next steps are to figure out how to incorporate a similar assignment into my courses.

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Originally Posted by Melanie Will-Cole


[quote=Tina Carrick]
What might you apply and/or adapt in your teaching?

Identifying as a "scientist" has always been an interesting topic. I believe you need to identify if the student has an interest or desire to want to think of themselves as a scientist. I have learned many students have no interest in science for various reasons and this leads to not identifying as a scientist. I find this a difficult concept to accept but try very hard to understand. To me.... science makes the world go round! After reading, watching, and listening to the various resources I would like to incorporate scientists of the week into my weekly or topic lecture. My initial thoughts are to introduce a scientist from the past (1800s early 1900s) and a current day researcher. If I am able I would like to find two scientists both involved topic I am teaching. It will be challenging but I will work out the kinks as I implement the idea.
[/quote]

comment from Melanie Will-Cole (CNM)
Hi Tina
I so much agree with you what you stated, i.e., “Science makes the world go round”! Thank you for the idea of incorporating “scientists of the week” into a weekly or topic lecture. I like this idea and I would like to do this with emphasis on the contributions from scientists who were/are under-represented minorities (URMs), esp. women. Unfortunately, I have found that it is quite challenging to locate written accounts of “impactful contributions” by female geoscientists. Trust me I know these contributions exist but it has been quite challenging to find good reputable sources that presents this information for the geosciences. It seems that the geoscience field highlights the fathers of geoscience, but rarely provides acknowledgments to our “geoscience mothers”. Gender is a major issue here, esp., if we desire more women to pursue the physical science disciplines. If you know of any good resources for this I would appreciate your sharing this with us. Thank you for your thoughts!

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Hi Melanie,

This is indeed a challenge. But if and when I do find great resources I will be happy to share and send along any great female geoscientists I may find! They are out there. We know this! My first attempt has been looking at recent papers, the authors, and then trying to find the author. Harder than I thought! I will meet the challenge!

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One thing I've been trying to do to increase science identity into my courses it to introduce a research project. I've had success with using CUREs recently, where each student gets their own project to see through for a semester, and I'm introducing a similar concept for another microbiology course, based on what I learned from my first CURE experience. I am constantly reminding the class that they are scientists when they're in my courses, whether we are actively experimenting or learning facts for later application.

My office door includes a poster of 'Rebel Women' as well. ;)

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Christie - OMG, you are my hero for doing CUREs successfully! They are so important, and yet the several times I have tried them, they have been a flop. I would love to hear more about what you did and how you made them successful!

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Have folks thought about how they might assess if what they are doing to increase science identity is working? Has anyone done surveys before or after their classes to see if their students are more likely to include scientist or science student in their self-identity? I can imagine lots of ways to do that.

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Have folks thought about how they might assess if what they are doing to increase science identity is working? Has anyone done surveys before or after their classes to see if their students are more likely to include scientist or science student in their self-identity? I can imagine lots of ways to do that.

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Originally Posted by Diondra DeMolle


What new insight did you get from the resources on science identity?


Diondra,
I do find it amazing that each semester I have students work on a brief scientist profile that I will see a name that I have never seen before. I have my online students do a brief video, and my seated students can do a video or present in person just a 2-3 minute presentation on a scientist that they felt they could relate to. I saved samples from last semester that were really good and got permission to share them with the students from this semester which seemed to motivate them.

Adrianne Leinbach (Cohort 1)

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Originally Posted by Leo Silbert



It is not surprising to me to find that most of the highest-achieving students in my physics and engineering classes are female. Given that I also continue to work on basic research projects with colleagues at universities and national laboratories, I am in the process of creating opportunities for my students to collaborate with these colleagues. Of course, the first students I talk to are the best students, which, as mentioned above, are mostly female.

Cheers
Leo



Hi Leo,
I really like that you mentioned that "you have found that most of the highest-achieving students in your physics and engineering classes are female". This is very interesting, and at the same time very exciting! In my geoscience classes I usually have only a few (3 or 4 women out of 30+ students) that are female and I have also observed a similar trend. What is also interesting is that since I started at CNM ~5 yrs ago I have had 5 female students move on to NM tech (a very rigorous mining and technology institution) to finish their BS and of these 5 students 4 have recently been accepted to graduate programs in geoscience or engineering. I also celebrate the fact that you are creating opportunities for your students to engage on research projects with your collaborators. Once again, Thank you for your thoughtful post.

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Lots of good discussions here! I noticed that strategy of engaging students in research was a repeated theme, as well as the many ways you demonstrate/illustrate to students who "does" science. Someone in another thread suggested that a group get together and work to develop more of the resources mentioned (scientist spotlights, videos, etc).

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