Equity and Inclusion
Overview
The geosciences contain the lowest proportion of awarded doctorates from historically excluded (i.e., underrepresented) groups when compared to every other Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) field (Bernard and Cooperdock, 2018). Through my teaching, research, service, and scholarship I am working to change this. As an active participant in collaborative groups working to make the geosciences more accessible, I strive to create an inclusive environment by treating differences as strengths, and always considering whether someone is being left behind as a result of my teaching or research methods.
As a Term Assistant Professor at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) I participated in two anti-racism programs. The first program was an eight-week course for white-identifying faculty exploring mindfulness and white privilege. The second program was ‘Unlearning Racism in the Geosciences’ (URGE), a 16-week geoscientist-led anti-racism initiative to develop anti-racist policies and strategies within academia. Supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the goal of URGE is to highlight the relevance of the geosciences and increase representation of BIPOC by identifying fundamentally exclusive systems in academia. Many students that I have had the opportunity to teach are historically excluded in the geological sciences – including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). I constantly reflect on feedback to become a more effective colleague/ educator, addressing different learning styles, perspectives, and backgrounds. In addition to personal development, I’m in the early stages of developing a college-level course that merges practical applications of geology with geoethics, environmental justice, and environmental racism - the disproportionate burden of pollution on communities of color.
Inclusive Teaching Methods
A student needs to be familiar with foundational work in order to build and form new hypotheses (Bloom, 1956; Timmerman et al., 2013). But after being immersed in a field of study for years (or decades), it is difficult for faculty to remember what it was like to not know something central to their field. I view this as a major factor leading to a fixed mindset within faculty, as it is easy to forget that recalling knowledge comes before being able to correctly apply that knowledge (Bloom, 1956; Krathwohl, 2002). By simply altering language on a syllabus, faculty can ensure they are expressing and thereby encouraging a growth mindset. A syllabus is required for most college courses and associated curriculum, and can often serve as an introduction to teaching responsibility – which should be shared by both the instructor and student. Espousing a growth mindset via positive verbiage, and avoiding phrases that may isolate traditionally underrepresented students, will provide a better educational environment for all students. Canning et al., (2019) demonstrated that faculty who espouse a fixed mindset can actually decrease student performance, motivation, and even increase academic achievement gaps for historically excluded students.
I have explored other evidence-based instructional methods through teaching at a local community college, and consulting with the Community College Research Center at the Teachers College, Columbia University. I was actively involved in a Pilot Study of Lesson Study as part of the Adapting Lesson Study project. Lesson Study is a structured, collaborative professional development approach that provides a framework for actively investigating student learning and engagement in the classroom (Cerbin and Kopp, 2006). These teaching methodologies have employed current initiatives in active learning and include: classroom flipping, recognizing and removing learning barriers, establishing a growth mindset in teaching practices, instructional scaffolding, and student metacognition. I observed introductory math courses as part of this project, and frequently noticed that while students may understand a concept, they can have trouble communicating their thought process. One research objective was aimed at improving student engagement, discovery, subsequent communication during a lesson.
Diversity as a Strength
Throughout both my academic and professional career, I have witnessed 'gate-keeping' or words and actions that communicate:
'"this was tough for me, so it also needs to be tough for you"
This mindset can simply exist as a discouraging attitude breeding unnecessary struggle and exclusion, while an inclusive approach results in increased diversity – sparking creativity and innovation. When people do not identify or feel as though they are welcome, they are less inclined to engage – and both the individual and science suffer as a result. This form of exclusion is counterproductive. Of STEM fields, the geosciences contain the lowest proportion of awarded doctorates from underrepresented minorities (Bernard and Cooperdock, 2018). Also, recent research has shown that encouraging community outreach and engagement as part of doctoral programs in STEM, may help historically excluded students feel like the geosciences are more relevant to their lives (Bernard and Cooperdock, 2018).
For the duration of my PhD, I needed to work multiple outside jobs. I was unaware of this when I started and as a result, coupled with the increasing cost of higher education (which I have strong feelings about), I am incredibly sensitive to students who maintain employment while they are going to school. Especially in an urban environment, working while attending school disproportionately effects nontraditional students (Bean and Metzner, 1985). Research has found that students who felt they had support resources reported fewer occurrences of conflicts between their work and school schedules (Hammer et al., 1998). These services could be on a university level through stress management seminars, teaching students how to negotiate for flexibility at work, or simply through instructor empathy. I have helped undergraduates brainstorm projects that would allow them to get research experience that fit within their work schedules. Higher education is expensive, and I am always happy to work with students who are going above and beyond to just get to the classroom, whether physically or virtually.
I am also a member of the International Association for Geoscience Diversity (https://theiagd.org/). As a professor, I aim to use this platform and its resources to share research opportunities and recruit students at both graduate and undergraduate levels. As an educator in the geosciences I think it is important to be both informed about field opportunities that are accessible, and at the same time recognize that a field component is not a good fit for all students.
I aim to cultivate diversity, and increase inclusion and representation by identifying underrepresented communities and engaging them in research related to mineral resources. Many of earth’s resources and commodities are located in places or countries whose people are not represented in any decision-making process. This is especially true in economic geology, where mine owners and investors are often not from a similar socioeconomic background as the workers. I would like to explore additional academic partnerships and mentorship opportunities, such as mineral museums or jewelry companies, to expand employment possibilities for geoscientists at any academic or professional level.
However, it is not enough to simply state that we will ‘include’ individuals that have been historically excluded in the geosciences. A statement like this needs to be paired with active awareness of the barriers to opportunity,
since we need to acknowledge the barrier in order to remove it.
When offering a professional opportunity or experience (research or industry) - reflect on what could be done differently to give more people a seat at the table.
These questions could include:
Does this opportunity require individuals to front expenses or purchase equipment?
Does it require an extended time away from home?
Where will these opportunities be advertised and for how long?
Do participants need to take time off of other jobs in order to participate?
Does the opportunity require unpaid labor?
This type of advocacy increases funding and diversity initiatives too. Research has shown that encouraging community outreach and engagement during graduate work can help historically excluded students and academics feel like the geosciences are more relevant (Thoman et al., 2015; McGee et al, 2016). These initiatives could be supported through outreach/ engagement activities as components of graduate research, and creates opportunities to increase BIPOC representation in the geosciences.
Thinking about student recruitment, I am actively exploring additional academic partnerships and mentorship opportunities, such as mineral museums or jewelry companies.
We should aim to expand employment possibilities for geoscientists at any academic or professional level.
References
Bean, J.P. and Metzner, B.S., 1985. A conceptual model of nontraditional undergraduate student attrition. Review of educational Research, 55(4), pp.485-540.
Bernard, R.E. and Cooperdock, E.H., 2018. No progress on diversity in 40 years. Nature Geoscience, 11(5), pp.292-295.
Bloom, B.S., 1956. Taxonomy of educational objectives. Vol. 1: Cognitive domain. New York: McKay, 20, p.24.
Canning, E.A., Muenks, K., Green, D.J. and Murphy, M.C., 2019. STEM faculty who believe ability is fixed have larger racial achievement gaps and inspire less student motivation in their classes. Science advances, 5(2), p.eaau4734.
Cerbin, W. and Kopp, B., 2006. Lesson study as a model for building pedagogical knowledge and improving teaching. International journal of teaching and learning in higher education, 18(3), pp.250-257.
Hammer, L.B., Grigsby, T.D. and Woods, S., 1998. The conflicting demands of work, family, and school among students at an urban university. The Journal of Psychology, 132(2), pp.220-226.
Krathwohl, D.R., 2002. A revision of Bloom's taxonomy: An overview. Theory into practice, 41(4), pp.212-218.
Timmerman, B.C., Feldon, D., Maher, M., Strickland, D. and Gilmore, J., 2013. Performance-based assessment of graduate student research skills: Timing, trajectory, and potential thresholds. Studies in Higher Education, 38(5), pp.693-710.