“SCIENTIST OF THE WEEK”: INTRODUCING DIVERSE SCIENTISTS INTO INTRODUCTORY GEOLOGY COURSES

Seeing scientists who share similar backgrounds and identities (e.g., culture, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, veteran status, first generation, etc.) is vital for giving students an avenue to visualize themselves succeeding in STEM fields. Unfortunately, many of the scientists introduced in the typical introductory physical and historical geology classes do not represent the majority of students in the classrooms and further enforce stereotypes of who belongs in science. To improve this, I have implemented a new segment into my university-level geology courses (both major and nonmajor courses) called “Scientist of the Week”. The segment introduces a diverse scientist across any range of STEM careers; these scientists have ranged from Nobel laureates, avocational scientists, science writers, and more across every imaginable scientific subdiscipline and personal background. We open class with a discussion about the scientist, their research, and how their specific personal experiences shaped their journey through STEM. We also include purposeful discussions about the historical systematic barriers that have been put in place that has made it difficult for underrepresented groups to participate in science throughout history and today. These discussions are posted online for students to reflect on after the class meetings, as well as shared on social media platforms. This project has multiple goals; specifically, I aim for students to see similarities between themselves and the scientists that we have highlighted, so that they can see themselves in a similar career; for students to be exposed to scientists that do not fit their stereotypical idea of what a scientist looks like; and third, for students to understand the human history of science so that they can understand that, due to human bias, science is far from the objective, evidence-based ideology that many assume it to be. This project aims to show students how to recognize the dangers of studies that are affected by human bias and why STEM must continue to actively promote a culture of inclusion, and reject bias, to succeed. Informal data to assess the impact of this project has been gathered through student-volunteered statements and student responses have been overwhelmingly positive. More formal methods to assess student impact will be done in the coming year.