What first sparked your interest in STEM subjects, personally? Were these subjects that you were interested in perhaps elementary, middle or high school? Were there any particular people who guided you along the way?
My interest in STEM, specifically computers began when I was in elementary school. I grew up in Tuskegee, Alabama, home of Tuskegee University. Both my parents were professors and academic administrators at the university. So, when the university installed its first open computer lab for its students, my parents along with some of the parents at my elementary school got together and decided to do the same for us, making my elementary school one of the first K-12 schools in the area to have a computer lab. I was intrigued by these machines and wanted to learn as much as I could about how to make them work. I wanted to learn how I could use the machines to help me do my homework. So, really my interest in STEM grew out of a personal desire to do things more efficiently, like writing English papers or solving math problems. This desire stuck with me through my academic matriculation which is why I ultimately did my Ph.D. work in computer science focusing on Human Computer Interaction – making computers useful, usable, and used.
I am very fortunate to have grown up in a community where I saw role models every day. I saw people who looked like me working as scientists, physicians, attorneys, entrepreneurs, teachers, civil rights icons, etc. As an adult, I recognize how fortunate I was and do not take this place of privilege for granted, which is why I am so passionate about the work that I do now. I have had a lot of people to guide me along the way, from early teachers, to an undergraduate computer science professor who was also a NASA scientist, to mentors who gave me an early start as an Assistant Professor who helped shape and guide my research and provided me with opportunities for administrative experience, to advisers now who are helping me shape my career path in academia. But I must admit, it started with my dad, who was a mathematician and senior academic administrator. As a kid I loved math and wanted to be a mathematician but he suggested that I try this new thing called…”computers.”
What inspired you to pursue the STEM initiatives you work on?
The need for change was my inspiration! When I started my B.S. degree program in computer science there were a lot of people in my classes. But by the time I graduated, that number has decreased significantly and there were very few women. Even now, despite the desperate need, American companies still cannot find workers skilled enough in math and technology to fill millions of permanent job openings. Studies note that approximately 40 percent of students who choose to pursue a STEM area either switch their major in college or do not graduate at all.
Others suggest that societal stereotypes, environmental and cultural factors, lack of visible role models, and different interests and experiences are some of the reasons that students do not choose STEM. It is for these reasons, that I entered academia so that I could help develop and educate the next generation of STEM workers, especially women and those who have been traditionally underrepresented in STEM.
Could you touch on the IAspire Leadership Academy (as well as the broader ‘IChange’ initiative)? How have these initiatives impacted your work?
The primary purpose of IAspire Leadership Academy is to develop and train the next generation of underrepresented (URG) leaders in STEM higher education. This program is designed to equip participants with skills to lead more effectively in an increasingly complex environment and gain the confidence to influence institutional transformation either in their current position or as they rise to other positions of leadership. The IAspire Leadership Academy is part of Aspire’s Institutional Change initiative (IChange) which seeks to cultivate post-secondary institutions where STEM faculty from underrepresented groups (URGs) are widely recruited, hired and retained, and all STEM faculty employ inclusive teaching, advising, and research mentoring. The IChange Network is designed to catalyze institutional change by providing a comprehensive, systematic approach to organizational transformation using a structured self-assessment process to inform the development and implementation of an action plan. Georgia State University was selected as part of the inaugural cohort in February 2019.
See this link for more information – https://news.gsu.edu/2019/02/26/georgia-state-selected-for-new-national-effort-to-develop-inclusive-diverse-stem-faculty/
What does advancing diversity and inclusion in STEM look like in practice? Say, in the classroom?
One way of advancing diversity and inclusion in STEM in the classroom is through the creation and use of inclusive pedagogy. Inclusive pedagogy is a student-centered approach where faculty create an inviting and engaging learning environment for all students incorporating in their instruction students’ varied backgrounds, learning styles, and physical and cognitive abilities. Another way of advancing diversity in the STEM classroom is to employ, promote and retain more women and people of color as part of the faculty. There have been many studies conducted about the “chilly classroom” environment and the lack of faculty role models in STEM. African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Native Pacific Islanders constitute about 30 percent of the US population, however they only account for roughly 9 percent of STEM faculty at US colleges and universities (National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics 2017). As a result of this low representation of underrepresented racial and ethnic minority (URM) faculty in academia, there are fewer role models for students of color, who often seek out faculty who look like them for mentoring and support. So it is important for institutions to look at their hiring practices and make concerted efforts to increase the representation of URM faculty in STEM, which is what Georgia State University is doing through its participation in the IChange Network and initiatives being implemented by the Provost’s office.
How can we better cultivate diverse and equitable STEM environments?
We can create more diverse and equitable STEM environments by placing an early emphasis on STEM education and through increased funding. A report from the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights, Civil Rights Data Collection, Data Snapshot: College and Career Readiness found that only 50 percent of high schools offer calculus, and only 63 percent offer physics. Furthermore, the report noted that between 10-25 percent of high schools do not offer more than one of the core courses in the typical sequence of high school math and science education such as Algebra I and II, geometry, biology, and chemistry and that for Black, Latino, American Indian, and Alaska Native students there is even less access where only a quarter of high schools with the highest percentage of Black and Latino students do not offer Algebra II and a third of these schools do not offer chemistry. So, if we are going to get serious about expanding the pipeline and making STEM environments more diverse and equitable, we have to start early with exposure, STEM preparedness, and expanding STEM courses to all students.
How has the pandemic affected STEM initiatives? Has it impacted the way we go about STEM education? Is it difficult to navigate STEM initiatives in a socially distanced setting? (I assume the shift in modality brought about its own unique set of challenges.)
I am very grateful to the Perimeter College STEM faculty for their leadership during the pandemic. They always go above and beyond; and this time is no exception. Like all faculty, they worked tirelessly to move their classes to a remote learning environment where many of these classes had never been offered remotely before. Related to the faculty leading STEM initiatives, they recognized that the co-curricular programming we provide was needed more than ever during this time of social distancing. Because Perimeter College has only commuter campuses, it is often difficult for students to observe faculty involved in non-classroom activities, make connections with peers in classes other than those in which they are enrolled, or socialize with other students encouraging them to become integrated into the campus community. The pandemic has further exacerbated this challenge. But to the credit of our faculty who oversee our STEM programs, like MESA, PSLSAMP, I am STEM, Project Raise/PBI and our STEM Centers, to name a few, they moved their communities online and have continued to provide the connectedness, tutoring, peer and teacher engagement that our students desire. As a result, we have found new ways to create community and will be using what we have learned as best practices to continue moving forward.
Email interview by Braden Turner, Writer/Graduate Administrative Assistant