Professional Scientist/Researcher

Dr. Catherine Mader of the Hope College physics faculty is part of a collaboration led by the American Physical Society (APS) that has received a grant from the National Science Foundation to create and administer a nationwide, five-year effort that seeks to increase participation in careers in the physical sciences by women and underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities by helping more pursue graduate education.

Field research and training create unique environments that can both reinforce and make invisible existing power dynamics, with the potential for abuse. In this interactive session we will discuss and practice strategies to reduce the likelihood of abusive behaviors such as bullying and harassment as well as how to respond when they do occur, with a focus on field environments. For more information visit the ADVANCEGeo resources on field work.

Abstract

Historically, access to education in the U.S. has not been equitable. Furthermore, intersectionality, the interaction of multiple identities, results in educational experiences that vary widely for diverse groups of students with implications for the recruitment of future students. To better understand barriers to ethnic/racial minority students participating in graduate education a study has been conducted through the APS Bridge program, a program designed to increase the number of ethnic/racial minorities earning PhDs in physics.

Topic

Graduate programs, not just undergraduate colleges, need to think about whether they need standardized admissions tests and whether they are using them in appropriate ways.

Abstract

Privileging elite academic pedigrees in graduate admissions preserves racial and socioeconomic inequities that many institutions say they wish to reduce. To understand this preference, I integrate across perspectives on trust in rational choice, social capital, and social network theories, and use the resulting framework to interpret 68 interviews with faculty reflecting on graduate admissions.

Abstract

The University of Georgia has operated under a voluntary “race-neutral” admission policy for the past 2 decades. Using frame analysis theory, we examine university documents and interview data from 11 campus administrators responsible for diversity efforts to understand how diversity is framed at the institutional and individual levels post-affirmative action. We compare our findings to the broader sociolegal discourses around diversity to present points of convergence and divergence among frames.

Abstract

Purpose

As part of the broader effort to diversify higher education in the USA, many science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) doctoral programs are deeply engaged in diversity work – an array of formal activities and practices meant to boost the representation of women and students of color. This paper aims to examine how underrepresented doctoral students in high-diversity STEM PhD programs contribute to diversity work in their programs.

Abstract

Recent research suggests that faculty reliance on graduate record examination (GRE) scores early in the graduate admissions review disproportionately limits access to doctoral education for women, Black, Latinx, and Native American students. However, some faculty do engage in more holistic review−and in so doing, weigh diversity−when evaluating applicants on a short list.

Abstract

We present findings from a case study of a psychology department that has graduated a significantly higher share of underrepresented doctoral students than national averages for its discipline. Using the campus racial climate framework, we found that organizational/structural diversity initiatives (recruitment and admissions practices), presented a positive image of the department's commitment to diversity to prospective students that diverged considerably from the climate and mentoring relationships students experienced once they matriculated.

Abstract

This study aims to understand the effectiveness of typical admissions criteria in identifying students who will complete the Physics Ph.D. Multivariate statistical analysis of roughly one in eight physics Ph.D. students from 2000 to 2010 indicates that the traditional admissions metrics of undergraduate grade point average (GPA) and the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Quantitative, Verbal, and Physics Subject Tests do not predict completion as effectively admissions committees presume.