WISE: A Support Group for Graduate and Post-Graduate Women in STEM

Gold, Jessica A.; Jia, Lena; Bentzley, Jessica P.; Bonnet, Kacy A.; Franciscus, A; Denduluri, Meenakshi; Zappert, Laraine T.

doi:10.1080/00207284.2020.1722674

Cited by 6 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…When peers mentor and coach each other, participants can form community connections through shared experiences (Dyer-Barr, 2014; Gold et al, 2021; Horner-Devine et al, 2018; Rockinson-Szapkiw et al, 2020, 2021; Thomas et al, 2015). These support networks can provide emotional support, career advice, and a safe protected space.…”

Section: Beyond Mentoring In a Support Networkmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These support networks can provide emotional support, career advice, and a safe protected space. In science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), peer support networks can also help participants develop STEM identities, self-efficacy, and persistence in the face of challenges (Gold et al, 2021; Rockinson-Szapkiw et al, 2020, 2021; Thomas et al, 2015). By connecting with peers with shared personal and professional identities and goals, peer mentoring and coaching support the development of a scientific identity that resonates with personal experiences and that does not undermine other aspects of an individual’s identity such as culture, race, gender, or ability status (Horner-Devine et al, 2018; Jackson et al, 2016; Luedke et al, 2019; National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2020; Nealy & Orgill, 2020).…”

Section: Beyond Mentoring In a Support Networkmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…By connecting with peers with shared personal and professional identities and goals, peer mentoring and coaching support the development of a scientific identity that resonates with personal experiences and that does not undermine other aspects of an individual’s identity such as culture, race, gender, or ability status (Horner-Devine et al, 2018; Jackson et al, 2016; Luedke et al, 2019; National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2020; Nealy & Orgill, 2020). Importantly, these support networks provide strong social and cultural capital, which (a) enhances the ability to mobilize resources and adapt to different social and academic situations and (b) enables group members to make an institutional change, thus increasing the chances of success in STEM fields (Gold et al, 2021; Luedke et al, 2019; National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2020; Rockinson-Szapkiw et al, 2020, 2021; Thomas et al, 2015). Peer coaching circles are especially beneficial for women of color in STEM and can create a supportive environment that addresses unique and shifting challenges for women in the sciences (Gold et al, 2021; Horner-Devine et al, 2018; Ong et al, 2018; Rockinson-Szapkiw et al, 2020, 2021; Thomas et al, 2015).…”

Section: Beyond Mentoring In a Support Networkmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Expanding the landscape of opportunity: Professional societies support early-career researchers through community programming and peer coaching.

Shelton

Delgado²,

Greenway

et al. 2021

Journal of Comparative Psychology

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Section: Beyond Mentoring In a Support Networkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Beyond Mentoring In a Support Networkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Beyond Mentoring In a Support Networkmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Expanding the landscape of opportunity: Professional societies support early-career researchers through community programming and peer coaching.

Shelton

Delgado²,

Greenway

et al. 2021

Journal of Comparative Psychology

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“…Many graduate programs in biology have implemented spaces, techniques, conversations, and policies to improve graduate student well‐being, particularly for underrepresented students (Bekki et al., 2013; Gold et al., 2020; Porter et al., 2018; Williams & Korn, 2018). Even as these individual efforts are successful, however, the inequities they attempt to counter persist.…”

Section: General Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

A systems change framework for evaluating academic equity and inclusion in an Ecology and Evolution Graduate Program

Wallace

York

2020

Ecology and Evolution

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While academia is moving forward in terms of diversifying recruitment of undergraduate and graduate students, diverse representation is still not found across the academic hierarchy. At the graduate level, new discussions are emerging around efforts to improve the experiences of women and underrepresented minorities through inclusive graduate programming. Inclusive graduate programs are that which actively center and prioritize support for diverse experiences, identities, career goals, and perspectives, from recruitment through graduation. Establishing regular and rigorous evaluation of equity and inclusion efforts and needs is a critical component of this work. This is recognized by funding agencies that increasingly require reporting on inclusion efforts; here, we suggest use of a systems change framework for these evaluations. A systems change approach emphasizes three levels: explicit change (e.g., policies), semi‐explicit change (e.g., power dynamics), and implicit change (e.g., biases). We use the Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior (EEB) PhD Program at the University of Texas at Austin in an exercise to (a) identify areas of concern regarding inclusive programming voiced by graduate students, (b) categorize efforts to address these concerns, and (c) integrating and evaluating which areas of the systems change framework show the greatest progress or potential for progress. We argue this framework is particularly useful for academic systems as they are complex, composed of variable individuals, and must address diverse stakeholder needs.

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“…Many graduate programs in biology have implemented spaces, techniques, conversations, and policies to improve graduate student well-being, particularly for under-represented students (Bekki et al, 2013;Porter et al, 2018;Williams and Korn, 2018;Gold et al, 2020). Even as these individual efforts are successful, however, the inequities they attempt to counter persist.…”

Section: General Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Systems Change Framework for Evaluating Academic Equity and Inclusion in an Ecology & Evolution Graduate Program

Wallace

York

2019

Preprint

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Manuscript Purpose/Abstract:Statistics on representation in graduate programs show that, while academia is moving forward in terms of generating diverse cohorts of students and faculty, representation still has not reached parity. These discrepancies in representation are seen at the graduate student level and intensify as academic rank increases. While there have been strides to improve representation through more thoughtful recruitment, a new discussion is emerging around inclusion and retention of under-represented minorities. Inclusive programs are that which center and prioritize support for diverse experiences, identities, career goals, and perspectives actively and continuously from recruitment through graduation. An emerging area of focus for inclusion efforts is graduate student programs. Graduate education programs provide significant opportunities for inclusive programming, and conversely, a program that does not take efforts to improve both diversity and inclusion can often contribute to further disparity in representation. While there are many efforts across programs to address inclusion, there is room for improvement on developing cohesive and effective programming that targets the many areas of needed change in order to improve institutional inclusivity.Here, we argue that graduate education programs should utilize a systems change framework to evaluate areas of progress and need in their program as it relates to inclusion. A systems-change approach emphasizes three levels of changes: explicit change (e.g. policies), semi-explicit change (e.g. power dynamics), and implicit change (e.g. biases). We use the Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior (EEB) PhD Program at the University of Texas at Austin in an exercise to (1) identify areas of concern regarding inclusive programming voiced by graduate students and (2) categorize efforts to address these concerns about inclusive programming into a systems change frame, and finish by (3) integrating and evaluating which areas of the systems change framework show the greatest progress and greatest need for the UT EEB graduate program.We acknowledge that the specific examples here are of particular relevance to other EEB programs, as they may see similar patterns in graduate student needs and efforts to address them. But, the exercise itself is certainly not limited to EEB programs. We encourage any graduate program, as well as any departments or even larger institution, to consider undergoing this exercise in order to more effectively address inequity in their own domains.

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WISE: A Support Group for Graduate and Post-Graduate Women in STEM

Cited by 6 publications

References 65 publications

Expanding the landscape of opportunity: Professional societies support early-career researchers through community programming and peer coaching.

Expanding the landscape of opportunity: Professional societies support early-career researchers through community programming and peer coaching.

A systems change framework for evaluating academic equity and inclusion in an Ecology and Evolution Graduate Program

A Systems Change Framework for Evaluating Academic Equity and Inclusion in an Ecology & Evolution Graduate Program

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