Best Practices: Sample Workshop

Amherst HSTEM 2016

This is an adaptation of a workshop from “SCIENTIFIC TEACHING” BY JO HANDELSMAN, SARAH MILLER, AND CHRISTINE PFUND. Please check our workshop materials in the Resources section for other workshop ideas.

Goals

The aim of this workshop is to help participants understand that diversity in STEM is essential; that aspects of our identity whether race, gender, sexual preference, socioeconomic status, and previous academic background make each student unique. We need to recognize that we all come into learning space with biases and assumptions that affect the way we teach and learn. “From an innovation perspective, our society loses out when STEM fields do not draw together from diverse backgrounds, whether from different lived experiences, and varied cognitive assets, or from diverse disciplines”

By the end of this workshop, participants will:

  • Understand that diversity is essential for progress in STEM 
  • Understand that because each student carries a diverse background and identity, diverse students bring a unique perspective to the classroom
  • Understand the common biases and assumptions that exist and how they may affect the classroom environment
  • Understand that diversity affects learning and different teaching methods can reach a variety of students
  • Be able to define “diversity” with regard to various teaching methods, learning styles and students 
  • Create opportunities in which diverse students learn from each other and therefore enhance the learning of the entire group

Activities

​​The following activities will help participants engage with teaching problems using a different teaching methods and think critically about how diversity may affect learning in STEM. We recommend including all activities within your workshop, but you can mix and match to suit whatever needs best fit your institution.

Discuss Case Studies

Case studies provide an avenue for students and professors to discuss openly the intersection between diversity and technical fields. The aim is not to solve the problem, but for people to hear a different perspective and to create an open forum where all opinions are respected.

Case Studies

Case studies are useful tools for discussing topics of diversity in scientific fields. The purpose of a case study discussion is not to solve the problems of racism, sexism, homophobia or other issues of discrimination. In discussing a case study, participants are encouraged to speak openly to create an open forum where all opinions are equally valuable. It is not in anyway necessary for the group to find the “right answer”. The point of these exercises is to envision how our different backgrounds may play a role into how we engage with different scenarios.

Facilitating the Discussion

A good facilitator is interested in engaging with ideas of diversity. The principal job of the facilitator is to foster group discussion around issues and problems in each scenario, discuss possible responses and explore the impact of these responses. It is essential that the facilitator speaks without lecturing, and engages participants with open-ended questions that go beyond simple “yes or no” responses. Some facilitators will ask a question and then step back and observe how the conversation unfolds, only interjecting to ask questions to continue the conversation. 

​An effective method to generate dialogue in larger groups is to divide participants into smaller groups to discuss initial reactions, and then re-group to present these ideas to the entire room. Groups of three to four people are large enough to get a variety of perspectives, but small enough that every participant has the opportunity to speak. In situations where workshop participants may know each other (such as in a classroom or school), it might be useful to randomize groups so as to ensure that every cohort has a variety of perspectives.

Worksheet

As you work through each case study, encourage workshop participants to answer the following questions.

  1. What issues does this raise for you as an individual?
  2. What questions for group discussion come to mind as you read the case?
  3. What could the instructor do in this situation? Generate several possible responses.
  4. ​What might be the consequences of each of these responses?
Shifting Viewpoints

As you review the cases below, consider viewing the situation from the following perspectives:

  • Student perspectives
  • Teaching assistant perspective
  • Faculty perspective
  • Institutional-level change
  • Course-level change
  • Individual actions
Case #1

​As she taught her discussion section of Engineering Dynamics, Gina Gilbertson wrote out an expression for momentum on the blackboard. Outside the window were the metal struts of the engineering building. Inside were twenty-five college students in various stages of alertness. Half of them were paying attention, and the rest seemed to be otherwise occupied.

In the third row sat a group of five students from China. They often talked with one another, but did not socialize with the rest of the class. Next semester, Gina thought, she would start the class off with an ice- breaker to get the students to step outside of their cliques.

Gina had asked each student to fill out a card with his or her name on it and set the cards out at each class period. This made it easier for her to call on people.
After she was done writing out her equations, Gina turned to the class, looking for someone to call on. Her eyes fell on a young Chinese man in a blue athletic sweatshirt. His card read, “Jay.” She had not called on him yet this semester.
Gina took a deep breath. “Jay,” she said, gesturing towards him, “what is an everyday life situation where momentum is important? We’ve talked about the equations – let’s think about how to apply them.”
Jay said something that she could not understand. The other four Chinese students- three men and one woman- laughed. The rest of the class remained silent.

There was an awkward pause. Gina was not sure how to handle the situation. “Could you repeat that?” she said. “I didn’t hear you.”

Susan, another Chinese student, spoke up. “He is just making a joke,” she said, attempting to spare Gina further embarrassment.

Gina shrugged and turned to a white student who was looking out the window. “Mike, what situations can you think of in which momentum would play a role?”
Mike grinned at Gina. “What about those little silver colliding balls executives put on their desks, where you pull out one ball and the other bounces back?”
“That’s a great example,” said Gina, relieved to have found a cooperative student whom she could understand. She turned back to the class. “What about some other examples from everyday life?”
​
As the discussion continued, Jay leaned back in his chair and went to sleep. Gina noticed this and thought about calling on him again. She decided not to do so. She tried to think back to her teaching assistants’ orientation the previous summer. What was she supposed to do?


Some Issues Raised by this Case
​We do not know the nature of Jay’s comment. The comment could have been innocent, sexist, related to her teaching style, or a joke completely unrelated to the topic. What we do know is that Gina is uncomfortable, and perhaps her students are taking advantage of her discomfort. Gina is still learning basic teaching skills, including how to dialogue with her students. She has not attempted to bring her Chinese students into social contact with other students in the course. This scenario is not unusual; students from the same country often do sit together. On the positive side, the students provide one another with social support; on the negative side, they may become segregated from other students – and even from their TA. Gina is somewhat uncomfortable teaching students from a different cultural background than her own, and is not sure how to deal with the language barrier. There may also be other cultural differences at work.


Possible Discussion Questions

  • What do you think of Gina’s response?
  • Could she have set up the situation differently to avoid the problems that occurred?
  • Does Gina frame her request for the student to repeat his statement effectively? How else could 
she state it?
  • Does Jay’s behavior require a disciplinarian response?
  • How might Gina respond constructively to her discomfort with students whose cultural 
background is different from her own?
Case #2

As he stood under the fluorescent lighting of the chemical engineering laboratory where he taught a sophomore course, Sam Gold did not know what to say. A dark expression passed across his face. He knew that his university was known as a “party” school. The students could be rowdy on Thursday nights… but this was too much!

Sam liked to use humor to bridge the divide between himself and his students. While most of Sam’s students were from rural families in the Midwest, Sam had grown up in New York City. His political beliefs were considerably more liberal than those of the professors he worked with, as well as those of his students. Because of his considerate behavior and sense of humor, Sam got along well with his professors and the other graduate students.
​
“All right, everyone, let’s get started,” Sam had said loudly, as his students settled noisily into their seats. “Today, we’re going to talk about catalysts.”

With some encouragement, the class had quieted down. As Sam began describing the role of a catalyst in a reaction, he heard one student say, “We could blow the Arabs away with that shit, huh?”

Most of the class had laughed at the joke. “Yeah, we’d turn Iraq into a dust bowl,” said another young man who had a brother in the Army.

“Show those ragheads what we’re there for,” a third had chimed in.
​
Sam felt frustrated. However, he knew that the professor he worked for would probably not have been upset by these comments. He generally adopted a “boys will be boys” attitude towards students’ shenanigans.

“Am I being too much of an idealist?” Sam wondered. He was the authority in this room, but his political views were unpopular at the university. He turned back to the blackboard. “Let’s stay on topic, all right?” he said, as he resumed the lecture.
The students who had spoken could tell that Sam was irritated, and looked at each other in surprise.


Some Issues Raised By the Case
Sam’s students have raised controversial educational issues through their classroom behavior. How does a teacher who is in the minority in some way maintain his or her authority with students whose beliefs may represent the view of a vocal minority or of the majority? What if these beliefs are expressed using language that is derogatory towards other cultures? Sam feels himself to be in a tenuous position because he is a TA rather than a professor and does not agree with the professor’s methods. Because of this situation, Sam hesitates to express his point of view.
​
This case raises the question of the appropriateness and relevance of political discussion in STEM classrooms, where the focus is usually on technical topics. It also brings up the issue of controversial language in the classroom. Students bring their backgrounds with them to class, as do professors. How does one maintain a respectful atmosphere for all students when controversial issues arise? How can Sam let his students know that their behavior is unprofessional?


Possible Discussion Questions

  • What are the best ways to handle disruptions in the classroom?
  • How might one teach towards students who test the limits of their instructor’s authority?
  • What level of professional behavior should be expected of our students?
  • To what extent should instructors try to “bridge the divide” between students and themselves?
  • To what extent should issues like politics be brought into a STEM classroom?
  • When is expressing emotion appropriate for an instructor?
  • Is the problem the perspectives of the students, or the way they are expressed?
  • What are some possible consequences of Sam’s silence?
  • How might a student with a Middle Eastern background have felt in Sam’s class?
Case #3

Marie Louise Moreau wondered whether she was the only student in her chemistry group who had read the assignment before coming to class. As her partners debated how they would do a titration, Marie sat on a stool and flipped a tiny braid over her shoulder impatiently. She had expected more when she had taken a plane from Haiti to study at a prestigious college in the United States. This modern chemistry lab with its new equipment, white walls and ceiling, and modern lighting system was fancy enough, but the students expected everything to be spoon-fed to them. It was ridiculous.
Joe Tickham, the unspoken leader of her lab group, was concerned. He was not sure how they would be able to carry out the titration successfully. “I just don’t know how we’re going to do this,” he said. Joe didn’t like to admit that he didn’t have the answer – but, this time, he was stumped.
Marie looked around the room and saw that they were lagging behind the other groups, who were already mixing their solutions. She spoke up. “Well, when I was doing the reading,” she said, “there was a note in the sidebar that said that when you’re doing a titration, you should add titrant slowly near the endpoint. That way, when the solution changes color, it is easier to tell how much titrant was added.”

Joe looked at her with doubt. Could she be right? He didn’t want to rely on Marie’s word alone. She had many ideas, but they weren’t always good ones. “Adam!” he called to their TA.
Adam finished talking with another group and walked across the white-tiled floor towards Joe. “Do you have a question?”

“Well,” said Joe, “We read in the book that we should add titrant slowly near the endpoint, so that when the solution changes color, we can accurately determine how much titrant was added. Is that true?”

“Good memory, Joe,” said Adam, clapping Joe on the shoulder. “That’s right. You’re an asset to your group.” He turned towards the other members of the group. “It’s always important to pay attention when you’re reading. Now, you need to get started with the titration in order to finish before the end of class. Let me know if you have any other questions.”

The two other students in the group, Anna Lee and Brandon Peck, looked at each other uncomfortably as the TA left. Joe had just stolen credit for Marie’s answer. It wasn’t the first time he had done this.
​
Marie was furious. This was just another example of the old boys’ network she thought. She stood up and began to gather their titration equipment together. “So,” she said, turning towards the rest of the group, “let’s get started. We’ll do the titration slowly, like I said.” She looked pointedly at Joe.
“Yeah, let’s get started,” Joe said brusquely, ignoring her gaze. He didn’t know what she was glaring at him for. If he didn’t take charge, nothing would get done. Anna was too passive, Brandon wasn’t interested in school work, and Marie just didn’t know enough about chemistry to make good decisions on her own.


​Some Issues Raised by the Case

Group work can be challenging. In this case, Joe assumes that Marie is not competent, perhaps because of her race and/or gender, while Marie considers Joe to be a member of the “old boys’ club.” Marie and Joe have a stronger work ethic than their teammates do. Marie’s academic preparation and understanding of the material are superior to that of the rest of the group, but her skills are not acknowledged by the TA or by Joe. The TA also makes assumptions about Joe’s competence relative to that of the rest of the group.


​Possible Discussion Questions

  • What is the best way to handle personality differences in group work without losing the educational benefits of group projects?
  • Why did the TA automatically give Joe individual credit for observations that he suggested came from the group?
  • Why did Joe assume that “Marie just didn’t know enough about chemistry to make good decisions on her own?”
  • What was the basis for Marie’s view that “students expected everything to be spoon-fed to them?”
  • Are the above assumptions due to Haitian vs. American cultural differences, are they race-based, 
are they gender-based, or are they a reflection of personality differences?
  • Would the TA clap Marie or other female students on the shoulder? If not, why not? If so, how 
would Marie view such an action? Did that action contribute to Marie’s thought that the exchange 
between Joe and the TA was “just another example of the old boys’ network?”
  • Would it be helpful for Marie to approach Joe in private about her concerns?
  • What is the professor’s role in dealing with all these issues?

Introduce “diversity”: mini-lecture

How exactly does diversity relate to STEM fields?  This question, while perhaps obvious to some, may be on the minds of your workshop participants. For this reason, it can be important to provide some background research on how diversity in the classroom can have a major impact on STEM in the future.

Interested in learning more about STEM and its intersection
with diversity and identity? You’ve found the right place.

This annotated bibliography of peer-reviewed articles, opinion pieces, and news reports was originally created by Amherst College students in the 2016 Being Human in STEM course. We hope the larger interested STEM community will join us in expanding this resource.

General Background Readings

Diversity Makes You Brighter
This article, published by the New York Times, is a succinct and cogent overview of a study published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It was written in response to the growing backlash against “diversity” recruitment efforts in higher education–an opinion infamously taken up by Chief Justice Roberts, who queried “what unique perspective does a minority student bring to a physics class?” during a ruling on affirmative action. The study itself shows that diversity can make a material difference on individual intellectual performance. Participants placed in ethnically heterogeneous groups were far more accurate at pricing stocks than their peers placed in homogeneous groups. This finding held true across international borders, as the researchers studied groups in both Texas and Singapore. Further, each “diverse” group improved the accuracy of its answers the longer they spent interacting with members of their groups. This is perhaps the most interesting finding of all–it suggests that the benefits of diversity are achieved through meaningful exchanges with those who are different from us.

ADDITIONAL READING

STEM & Race​

Gender Bias Against Women of Color in Science
This report includes both the data from original interviews conducted by the authors as well as a review of the existing literature to identify the bias against women of color in STEM professionally. For this study, the authors developed a rubric of four types of bias:

  1. “Prove it again:” Women often have to provide more evidence of competence than men in order to be seen as equally competent 
  2. “Tug of War:” gender bias that fuels conflict between women
  3. “The Maternal Wall:” By far the most damaging form of gender bias is triggered by motherhood. Maternal wall bias includes descriptive stereotyping that results in strong assumptions that women lose their work commitment and competence after they have children
  4. “The Tightrope:” Women often find themselves walking a tightrope between being seen as too feminine to be competent—or too masculine to be likable

The authors found that a full 100% of respondents in their survey and interviews had experienced one or more of these biases (note: the executive summary of the report provides concrete data on the percentages of women of color who report these biases as well as data on the intersectional issues).

​
The effect of instructor race and gender on student persistence in STEM fields
While approximately 50% of white students continue with their STEM studies through senior year of college, only 30% of their peers of color will finish up their science majors. This study sought to explain these attrition patterns–otherwise known as a “persistence gap”– observed amongst minority STEM students.  To accomplish this goal, the authors collected data from several cohorts of public university students in Ohio, following them from freshman to senior year. Perhaps unsurprisingly, ACT scores (used as a proxy measurement for pre-college academic preparedness) had the largest effect, accounting for approximately half the attrition rate observed among these cohorts. However, standardized testing does not explain the whole picture: sophomores, juniors and seniors of color who took courses with STEM professors of color tended to have more sustained interest in the sciences. In contrast, the presence or absence of faculty of color had no effect on white student retention. Together, these findings indicate that same-race professors are a uniquely crucial factor for minority student success in STEM fields.

Who Really Burns: Quitting a Dean’s Job in the Age of Mike Brown and My Vassar College Faculty ID Makes Everything OK
​In approaching STEM education reform, it is the students–more specifically, their access to academic resources and the systemic inequalities they must overcome–that most readily capture our attention. Just as important, however, is the experience of the STEM faculty–those who create and maintain the learning environments in which STEM knowledge is disseminated. Faculty of color hold a special significance: studies have shown that faculty of color are essential in helping to retain minority students within STEM majors. However,  it is these very same faculty members that feel most isolated and unsupported on college campuses; many feel overwhelmed and burdened by the support they must provide to students of color, a phenomenon termed “doing double duty”. The two essays linked here, authored by black female professors at Vassar College, provide jarring personal testimony about the lived experiences of faculty of color.

Structural bias poses obstacles to faculty of color
This report, part of the Pervasive Prejudice article series published by the Brown Daily Herald, assesses three “roadblocks” to minority faculty success in higher education institutions. The piece begins by reviewing faculty hiring practices, noting that “whiteness” is – whether unconsciously or consciously – considered an asset when evaluating professorial candidates. Importantly, it is not just getting a job that remains difficult for academics of color; once they have landed a position, many struggle to succeed at their chosen institution. The report notes that minority faculty face an “uphill” battle to achieve: they are far more overextended than their white counterparts, performing “double duty” to provide extra mentoring and advising to students who fall within their identity groups. This environment only worsens towards the top of the academic food chain–the senior faculty at Brown are overwhelmingly white, with people of color only making up approximately 4% of the full professors on campus. Unsurprisingly, this lack of representation only exacerbates the issue by placing immense pressure and responsibility on the shoulders of senior faculty of color.

Racial and ethnic minority students’ success in STEM education
This monograph reviews a vast number of books, journal articles, and policy reports to synthesize an overview of underrepresented racial and ethnic groups in STEM. The authors developed the Racial and Ethnic Minorities in STEM (REM STEM) Model, which illustrates the ways in which various factors influence success in STEM among underrepresented groups. The model is composed of seven constructs–K-12 Experience, K-12 Outcomes, College Experiences, College Outcomes, Financial Influences, Parental Expectations and Involvement, and STEM Specific Opportunity and Support–each of which informs or interacts with the others. For example, educational inequities in the K-12 Experience will affect components of K-12 Outcomes, such as academic preparedness in STEM. The authors hope this interconnected model will impart the importance of experiences at all levels to a successful future in STEM and inform future research, policy, and education practice.

Asian Women in STEM Careers: An Invisible Minority in a Double Bind
Although 22% of those receiving doctoral degrees in 2009 were of Asian descent, Asian women still face trouble advancing in jobs in academia, industry, and government. They also make up the smallest percentage of tenured and full professors. These women are in what is referred to as a double bind; their success in STEM fields is hindered by both Asian stereotyping and gender bias. As a result, there are fewer and fewer Asian women found at higher ranking positions, and these percentages are lower than for non-Asian women at all ranks. Greater attention and effort must be paid to the unique challenges faced by Asian women in STEM to promote greater inclusion at all levels.

ADDITIONAL READING

STEM & Socioeconomic status

Socioeconomic Stratification in the STEM Pathway from College to the Labor Market
Despite the wealth of literature on social class inequalities in access to college and degree attainment on the one hand, and the large body of research on inequality in STEM college fields on the other, little is known about whether, how, and when SES matters for STEM trajectories. Though SES status strongly effects enrollment in four year colleges, this study found that, once in college, SES does not appear to affect students’ interest in or likelihood of entering STEM fields. However, low-income students in STEM majors leave college at higher rates than their low-income non-STEM counterparts as well as their high-income peers across fields. Overall, the results of this study suggest that more advantaged students are able to maintain qualitative advantages even with the same educational attainment.

STEM & Gender

StratEGIC Toolkit
The StratEGIC Toolkit offers research-based advice about strategic interventions useful in an organizational change to create institutional environments that support women in STEM. Their research draws upon the programs and experiences of institutions that have implemented Institutional Transformation (IT) projects under the National Science Foundation’s ADVANCE program. This practical toolkit distills and shares lessons learned about particular interventions and how they combine into an overall change portfolio. 

GEP Workshop Materials
This website includes workshop materials from the Gender Equity Project. You can access previous years’ workshop programs, information about the speakers, and link to great readings and handouts presented in each workshop.

Women, Science and Academia
This article examines organizational contexts—that is to say,  professional and academic structures—that might create environments of gender-based inequality in academic science communities. Specifically, the article focuses on three specific settings: academic departments, research groups, and advisor-advisee relationships. Across these three settings, female doctorate students reported stronger feelings of disconnection and discomfort relative to their male peers. However, certain contextual factors–for instance, being part of a department that has consciously worked to improve its gender ratios–were able to attenuate some of these negative feelings. Women, Science and Academia

demonstrates that the woman’s STEM struggle extends far beyond the classroom. Indeed, “social networks of science” are a critical component in creating positive, welcoming STEM communities: precisely the thing that would allow women to thrive as they pursue their science careers. 

Gender Differences in Students’ Experiences, Interests, and Attitudes toward Science and Scientists
In this study, science educators administered a series of surveys to a cohort of sixth graders, using the responses to characterize the way that gender roles may impact interest in or untaught proficiency with STEM fields. Across all categories, male students appeared more inclined to pursue the physical sciences: they had more of a background with hands on/tool-based extracurriculars, and wanted to learn more about physical science concepts like electricity or radioactivity. In turn, female students were more interested in concepts corresponding to the biological sciences, and had experience with “biologically oriented” activities such as bird watching. Most interesting of all were the ways in which gender played into career aspirations; on average, female students wanted to “help people” through their careers, whereas male students sought professional fame and prestige. Together, these findings  suggest that the gender patterns we observe in higher ed STEM classrooms may begin as early as middle school, and may be rooted in part within cultural expectations of how boys and girls should act.

The Mismeasure of Women
This short article relates the psychological concept of “stereotype threat” – the way in which stereotypes can positively or negatively impact performance – to “impostor syndrome” – a term commonly used to describe the  feelings of academic inadequacy and shame shared by many female STEM students.

Feeling Like a Fraud
This article, published in the British Psychological Society’s May 2010 issue, characterizes impostor syndrome–a psychological phenomenon in which high-achieving women (particularly those working in the sciences) feel like intellectual frauds, despite academic or professional success. In addition to giving an extensive overview on the syndrome, the article highlights some possible causes for this condition – such as childhood experiences and societal expectations placed on women – and suggests a variety of strategies to help minimize these impostor-like feelings.

Tim Hunt, sexism and science: The real ‘trouble with girls’ in labs
While at a cocktail party in 2015, biochemist (and Nobel Laureate) Tim Hunt suggested that female scientists served as emotional and romantic distractions to their male colleagues. His remarks received widespread global backlash, with many in the science community calling for Hunt’s resignation from his post at UCL in London. This news article from CBC News attempts to ground this controversy within a broader context, helping us to understand how Hunt’s problematic commentary may reflect systemic sexism within the STEM community at large.

Reducing the Gender Achievement Gap in College Science: A Classroom Study of Values Affirmation
It is common for women in college physics courses to earn lower exam grades than their male classmates, although differences in background and preparation cannot account for this gap. It is likely that identity threat and negative gender stereotypes are part of the cause. This study focuses on values affirmation, in which students write about the values that they deem most important, as an intervention to offset the effects of identity threat and reduce the gender gap observed in exam scores. Female students who completed the values affirmation scored better on exams and standardized tests, effectively reducing the gender gap, and this effect was greater for those who believed in negative gender stereotypes. These results show that values affirmation is a promising tool for increasing the chances of success for women or other underrepresented groups in STEM.

Students’ Perceptions of Their Classroom Participation and Instructor as a Function of Gender and Context
One consequence of the so-called “chilly climate” in STEM classrooms is that female students participate in class less than their male classmates and may feel less confident doing so. This study focused on the effects of class size and gender balance, discipline, and instructor gender on students’ perception of their own class participation and of their professor. Students who saw themselves as more active participants were more likely to be male and to report positive interactions with their instructors, and male active students participated more than female active students. While no effect of gender balance was seen on perception of participation, female students viewed their interactions with professors more positively in classes with a higher proportion of women. One noted exception of this is that female students reported less probing behavior, in which professors seek further explanation from their students, in predominantly female courses. This suggests that even though these students are more likely to participate, their interactions are still limited by gender bias.

Stability and Volatility of STEM Career Interest in High School: A Gender Study
​Gender disparities in STEM at the college level have earlier roots, and high school experiences in particular play a critical role in influencing students to pursue careers in science and technology. This study focused on gender differences in the development of interest in STEM careers during high school and later retention in STEM fields. The most powerful predictor of interest in STEM at the end of high school was interest at the start, which was reported to be much higher in male students than females. Overall, female students were less likely than males to maintain their interest or to become interested in careers in STEM.

The Costs of Inequality: For Women, Progress Until They Get Near Power
​There have been great strides in furthering equality for women in education and the workplace, yet women are still face unequal pay and are disproportionately underrepresented at the top positions in their fields. One aspect of this stagnation is the cultural expectation of women to prioritize child and elder care, disadvantaging those in high pressure fields like technology and finance. Another factor is a pervasive societal assumption about women in leadership positions; for example, as early as their teens, both boys and girls are more likely to prefer male politicians over female ones. The author offers several examples of ways to fight this inequality, ranging from something as simple as hanging portraits of influential women leaders alongside those of men to offering more job flexibility and family leave for men.

STEM & sexual orientation

‘Ask Me’: What LGBTQ Students Want Their Professors to KnowMany LGBTQ students say that they face an array of challenges on college campuses throughout the nation. The Chronicle interviewed more than a dozen of the students to hear, in their own voices, about these challenges that prevent them from thriving in college. They address many different issues, including accommodating for name changes, addressing housing concerns, and providing adequate resources. This article includes the video (about 12 minutes long) and a description of some of their findings. 

Erin A. Cech & Tom J. Waidzunas (2011) Navigating the heteronormativity of engineering: the experiences of lesbian, gay, and bisexual students, Engineering Studies, 3:1, 1-24.
In this study, queer engineering students at a large, public U.S. university reported on their experiences navigating a tech field. Due to the technical/social dualism and emphasis on professionalism salient within engineering culture, these queer students found their voices silenced, experienced social isolation, and felt pressure to put in extra academic labor in order to achieve “indispensability.” The students also provided valuable suggestions for ways to improve their experiences, such as the introduction of queer STEM student organizations and increases in the number of out faculty and industry mentors.Queer in STEM: Workplace Experiences Reported in a National Survey of LGBTQA Individuals in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Careers, Jeremy B. Yoder & Allison Mattheis, 2016, Journal of Homosexuality, 63:1, 1-27How do queer STEM students and professionals experience their work environments? The results of a 2013 online survey indicate that, out of more than 1,400 LGBTQA individuals in STEM, more than half (57%) are out to a majority of their coworkers, but 30% of respondents are not out to their undergraduate students. This report details the workplace factors that influence the decision to be out, perhaps most interestingly that queer individuals in STEM are more likely to be open about their identities in environments with greater gender parity.

Student Prejudice Against Gay Male and Lesbian Lecturers
This report asked whether gay and lesbian professors are judged more harshly in situations with attributional ambiguity; in other words, do students rate gay and lesbian professors more harshly in situations in which their evaluation can be attributed to factors outside of their sexuality, e.g. strength of lecture? After strong lectures, students rated gay and lesbian lecturers more negatively than those whose sexual orientations were unknown, yet they rated weak gay and lesbian lecturers more positively than those presumed to be straight. This was contrary to the hypothesis that a weak lecture would provide prejudiced students an excuse to evaluate gay and lesbian professors more negatively. Instead, it is likely that prejudice against gay and lesbian professors takes a different form, one in which, while there is reluctance to rate poor performance too harshly, there is also a refusal to award positive evaluations when they are deserved.

Sexual and Gender Minority Identity Disclosure During Undergraduate Medical Education: “In the Closet” in Medical School
As reported in this study, nearly one third of queer medical school students are not out, and an even greater proportion (43.5%) fear discrimination from peers and faculty alike. In their decision to stay closeted, many students cited a desire to separate their personal and professional lives, antigay comments and jokes from colleagues, and a fear of biased evaluations, consciously or unconsciously, from their superiors. Other respondents chose not to share their identities because of concerns about their future careers, worrying that disclosure could bar them from certain specialties or geographic regions. In addition to social isolation, the added stress of concealing one’s identity can negatively affect physical and mental health, which, as this study points out, can contribute to burnout and career dissatisfaction. The authors suggest several strategies for improving the environments queer students face, including formal support groups and faculty and staff sensitivity training.   

Gay Scientists–Where Are They?
​In this video, Professor David K. Smith speaks about the current lack of out STEM roles models in the public eye and the impact that visibility can have on queer students’ ability to imagine a future for themselves in STEM.

Making Their Own Way: Experiences of Gay Male Students in STEM
In this study, a group of gay male undergraduates in STEM were interviewed and ask to reflect on their experiences in the classroom. Although this study included few participants, many emerging themes are consistent with the experiences of STEM faculty and medical and engineering students, such as the perception of the STEM environment as one that emphasizes objectivity and professionalism, discomfort coming out, and the social isolation that accompanies being unable to live and participate fully. The students interviewed stressed the importance of having gay-identified mentors and role models and considered these relationships essential to their continuing in the field. The LGBT Climate in PhysicsThrough a set of surveys and in-depth interviews, the American Physical Society (APS) assessed the barriers LGBT physicists face in feeling welcome within the physics community. Their broad findings indicate that the climate faced by LGBT physicists was highly variable, but in many cases, LGBT people experienced discrimination, isolation, pressure to remain closeted, and difficulty finding allies in their workplaces. In line with their mission to promote diversity and equal opportunity in physics, the APS made a list of recommendations to fight LGBT marginalization and foster a community that embraces its LGBT members. Among their suggestions were the establishment of a Forum on Diversity and Inclusion to benefit all underrepresented physicists and the implementation of LGBT-inclusive advocacy efforts, best practices, and mentoring programs.

Diversity: Pride in Science
This article provides a variety of narratives from people reflecting on their experiences in STEM fields. While taking the time to differentiate between gender identity and sexuality, the report points out that most LGBT individuals typically struggle with these feelings in their teens and early twenties, a time when STEM students are supposed to be “mastering their fields,” commonly resulting in emotional turmoil. The report notes that some postpone coming out until after graduation, but for many the fear of coming out lasts past graduation. Scientists are aware that their research and publications are based on the judgement of fellow scientists and thus biases (whether conscious or unconscious) will affect their advancement in their field. The article also points out the lack of statistics on LGBT students in STEM fields and thus the pressing need to carry out large surveys of LGBT scientists so that the LGBT STEM community can be better served.

STEM & nationality

Immigration & the Science and Engineering Workforce
More than one quarter (27%) of those employed in science and engineering in the U.S. are foreign-born, compared to just 15% of all college-educated workers. In addition, foreign-born workers in science and engineering tended to have higher levels of education than their American-born counterparts. The majority of foreign-born science and engineering workers are of Asian descent, and nearly 90% of Asians in science and engineering are foreign-born. More than half of foreign-born STEM workers earned at least their first degree outside of the U.S. and most commonly immigrated to the U.S. for educational opportunities. Those who received all their degrees abroad most commonly cited economic opportunity as their reasoning for pursuing science and engineering careers in the U.S.