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Sisters Interrogating STEM Action Researchers
Sisters Interrogating STEM Action Researchers
Our research “Resisting the STEMming of Muslim Women’s Pursuit in Scientific Endeavors” interrogates the lack of representation Muslim women face in Western STEM spaces. We combat this narrative through reflecting upon how our academic research intertwines with our personal experiences and religious journeys. Ultimately, our overarching goal is to decolonize STEM education through an Islamic lens, by empowering our fellow Muslim women in STEM to reconnect with their faith, community, and authentic selves.
Our research “Resisting the STEMming of Muslim Women’s Pursuit in Scientific Endeavors” interrogates the lack of representation Muslim women face in Western STEM spaces. We combat this narrative through reflecting upon how our academic research intertwines with our personal experiences and religious journeys. Ultimately, our overarching goal is to decolonize STEM education through an Islamic lens, by empowering our fellow Muslim women in STEM to reconnect with their faith, community, and authentic selves.
The Team!
The Team!
(Organized Alphabetically)
Shafa Alam
Shafa Alam
Community Researcher
Community Researcher
Shafa Alam is a junior Public Health Science major attending the University of Maryland , College Park. She enjoys exploring new places to eat and spending time with her loved ones. Shafa joined team SiSTEM because she wanted to find her own purpose in STEM whilst connecting with a Muslim community, and to also address underrepresentation Muslim women may experience in STEM fields.
Contact: salam123@terpmail.umd.edu
Yusra Husain
Yusra Husain
Community Researcher
Community Researcher
Yusra Husain is a junior Public Health Science major at the University of Maryland, College Park. Her interest in joining this project was to challenge the perceptions taught in the classroom of her own field and understand the under-looked role of Islam in STEM and adjacent fields. In her free time, Yusra enjoys playing ice hockey, reading fictional books, and partaking in spontaneous and thrilling adventures!
Contact: yzhusain@terpmail.umd.edu
Mariam Khan, B.A.
Mariam Khan, B.A.
Community Researcher
Community Researcher
Mariam Khan is a Masters of Bioethics graduate from the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute, an affiliate of the Bloomberg School of Public Health. She obtained her B.A. in Spanish Language, Literatures, and Culture from the University of Maryland in College Park, with a Humanities, Health, and Medicine minor this past Spring of 2023. She is passionate about decolonial research, disability justice advocacy in global health policy, and exploring healthcare issues from a social justice framework.
This project has inspired Mariam to interrogate coloniality in all its forms through an Islamic lens, resulting in her becoming a Fellow for the Summer Institute in Anti-Racist and Decolonizing Research Methods. More importantly, however, this collaborative work has brought her closer to her faith by incorporating social justice values into her religious practice. Mariam loves puzzles, learning about new things, connecting with others, escape rooms, singing, and roller coasters.
Contact: mskhan01@terpmail.umd.edu
Nusrat Meetul
Nusrat Meetul
Community Researcher
Community Researcher
Nusrat Meetul is a senior at the University of Maryland, College Park, pursuing a major in Computer Science with a minor in Technology Entrepreneurship. Through this project, she aims to gain a deeper insight into the underrepresentation of Muslims in STEM fields, particularly Muslim women. In her free time, Nusrat enjoys watching a wide range of movies, from Hollywood comedy classics to emotionally charged Bollywood masterpieces, and bonding with her family through baking.
Contact: nmeetul@terpmail.umd.edu
Vivian Zohery, Ph.D.
Vivian Zohery, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Principal Investigator
Vivian Zohery is a science education researcher at the University of Maryland, College Park, specializing in decolonizing STEM Education through an Islamic lens. As a Triple-Terp, she earned her Master's degree in the same field (2020) and holds a Bachelor's in Physiology & Neurobiology, with a minor in Astronomy (2017). Her research interests include how student affect serves as a precursor to scientific reasoning, informal education in astronomy and biology, as well as the neurocognitive and affective factors that enable scientific thinking. She has also explored experiential learning among college students, decolonial pedagogies, and the barriers influencing Muslim women's involvement in STEM fields.
Her dissertation focuses on the transformative nature of participatory action research (PAR) in nurturing STEM and faith identities in young Muslim women college students. As a passionate STEM advocate, she is dedicated to recruiting and retaining women of color in STEM, with a particular emphasis on supporting Muslim women. In her spare time, Vivian teaches Quran and Islamic studies classes and volunteers at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum's Astronomy Education program, where she shares her love of telescopes at the Phoebe Waterman Haas Public Observatory. (Link to UMD Bio | LinkedIn)
Contact: vzohery@umd.edu
We would like to express our deepest appreciation to the Teaching, Learning, Policy, & Leadership (TLPL) Department in the College of Education at the University of Maryland, College Park for supporting this initiative. We are deeply indebted to you, as this would not have been possible without your support and nurturing of our team.
We would like to express our deepest appreciation to the Teaching, Learning, Policy, & Leadership (TLPL) Department in the College of Education at the University of Maryland, College Park for supporting this initiative. We are deeply indebted to you, as this would not have been possible without your support and nurturing of our team.
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