Diversity Statement

I have been very fortunate in my life so far; as a white, middle-class, cis, straight, woman I have had a lot of privilege. My parents encouraged my interests in science and math and have always been very supportive of my life decisions. I realize that this is not true for everyone, and that my students will have privileges and identities that may differ and/or overlap with mine. Many individuals face barriers to becoming successful college graduates. Students enter the classroom with diverse perspectives and experiences, and part of my job as a teacher and mentor is to listen to students and create a culture within my classroom and laboratory where everyone is on the same page about expectations for behavior, acceptance of other students, as well as academic standards. Two things that I emphasize as part of my approach to working with a diverse student body are:

1. Scientific thinking is important for everyone.

2. All types of people can become scientists.

Not all students in my classes will be interested in science-based careers, but that does not mean that what they learn will be irrelevant to their future. Science is often construed as a collection of facts that need to be memorized, but in reality is a messy process of using experiments and critical thinking to acquire new information about the world. Good science courses convey this process and teach principles that are important for any career such as using evidence and logic to reach conclusions. Using examples based on scientific literature, connecting course content to real-world situations, and designing assignments to allow students sufficient independence are important to support inquiry-based learning for all students.

Students learn best in different ways; some are auditory or visual learners, while others need hands-on experience. I believe that the best science education uses all of these methods to promote skills that will transfer to outside the classroom. Students with disabilities or poor science backgrounds may need additional support to succeed in my courses, and I do my best to provide resources that will enable them to do well.

Some students, particularly underrepresented minorities, may have trouble envisioning themselves as scientists. As a way of fostering self-efficacy in all of my students, I use diverse examples of scientists who have made important contributions to the field and encourage students to find role models with whom they have things in common. Throughout high school and college, I had trouble finding role models that were similar to me, as most of the teachers I worked with were men and I met few scientists through my family and extra-curricular activities. In graduate school, getting to know the women professors in my program and making friends with women scientists at conferences and at activities outside of work helped me to envision the scientist I am today and would like to become in the future. As a professor, I can serve as a role model to students who have things in common with me, and work to put students in contact with individuals that I know or organizations that bring together minority scientists.

As a graduate student, I worked with individuals from Israel, China, Germany, and other places. Learning to communicate with people from different places helped me to become an all-around better communicator and learn to adjust my communication style to my audience. I learned a lot from them, as they learned from me. I believe culturing a diverse student body is very important to give students the opportunity to learn to work with those who are different from themselves. I look forward to having students from many different backgrounds.