Dr. Cynthia Bauerle from the James Madison University presented as part of the SABER Diversity and Inclusion efforts webinar series on January 21st. I was finally able to view the recording of the presentation entitled “Interrogating the center of STEM education” and hope to view the rest of the recordings… or live events! Also, I enjoy watching Marcos Garcia-Ojeda introduce speakers in this and several other venues! Dr. Bauerle acknowledged the tough year and inauguration to start the talk. Bauerle was a visiting professor in the Applied Biotechnology Unit at the University of Dar es Salaam from 1999-2000 and being a Biology Department Chair at Spelman College in Atlanta from 2005-2009. Bauerle discussed the assumptions one brings to different institutions and the institutional goals. Bauerle defined terminology used during the presentation:
- PEER – Person Excluded due to Ethnicity or Race (I want to try to use this term more often!)
- Marginalized – to be assigned a position peripheral to rather than centered within educational mission and system
- Queer – encompassing persons who do not identify as exclusively straight and/or those who have non-binary or gender expansive identities.
- HWI – Historically White Institution
I appreciate how Bauerle provided the rationale for defining the terms this way and using them in the presentation. Bauerle asked: why is it important to consider a broad definition of diversity to make academic biology inclusive? For this, Bauerle emphasized “parity as a STEM enterprise that represents the US citizenry”. A graph depicting science PhDs earned by US PEERs was displayed and compared to the corresponding US population, showing clearly how we are not keeping pace! This graph was produced using data from the US Census Bureau and the NSF Survey of Earned Doctorates. Then, Bauer tried to extrapolate the lines to indicate how long it would take for the lines to likely cross. Bauerle stressed that the pace is not going to lead to parity anytime soon. Another slide had bar graphs that depicted the percent of PEERs persisting in STEM: disproportionally the students that are lost are PEERs. This was a graph David Asai showed their SABER talk last fall. Bauerle emphasized that students have the potential to succeed… but it is not happening at a rate that is sustaining. Going back to the initial question that Bauerle asked: why is it important to consider a broad definition of diversity to make academic biology inclusive?, Bauerle mentioned parity, innovation to develop the full spectrum of STEM talent in the US, and equity so that all students can have access to rewarding STEM educational experiences. Citing Riegle-Crumb 2019, Bauerle explained that white privilege in STEM attainment is an active concept and gaps for Black and Latinx students are evident. Bauerle showed a sobering quote:
Racial inequities in STEM are not are not a natural disaster that befell the U.S.; they were created intentionally and justified by white supremacist beliefs that were the cornerstone of our nation.
Malcom-Piqueux, 2020
Bauerle also showed an “equity quadrant” that Malcom-Piqueux developed with Race-Neutral Inclusion, Race Conscious Inclusion, Race-Neutral Exclusion, and Race-Conscious Exclusion. Bauerle mentioned that Race-Conscious Inclusion is an approach that may help us develop and center equity in STEM undergraduate education. For this, actively acknowledging inequality and discrimination was mentioned as important. Bauerle explained the importance of prioritize equity-based metrics for measuring effectiveness of programs, the success of PEER and other marginalized students, and the elimination of educational inequalities. Re-centering science learning on inclusion (citing Asai, 2020) and framing diversity as an essential component of educational excellence were highlighted as ways of promoting educational reform. Bauerle mentioned that students are ware of their identities and positionality in the learning context. I had to think about this and how it can be important in how we manage educational experiences. Interestingly, Bauer mentioned that as we shift to active learning approaches, social identities and social inclusion through microaffirmations, for example, become important. The concept of intersectionality is critical as we all have multiple factors, dimensions, and experiences that we bring to our educational environment. Bauerle listed instructor self-awareness, empathy, affirming classroom climate, inclusive pedagogy, and leveraging support networks as inclusive teaching practices. The last part of the presentation focused on faculty hiring for “equity-based department” that was very timely as I am a member of new search committee with several departments involved. Bauerle ended by emphasizing prioritizing equity and the success of PEERs, and that it is our responsibility to learn how we can be aware and improve what is going on in the classroom. The question and answer session had several discussions about positionality, what is parity, and should departments be held accountable for equity. I find it fascinating to learn about equity and identity. While I find the trends depressing and have felt marginalization throughout my life, I enjoy how in the last year great discussions have started. How can I become a better ally, mentor, and PEER?
