Although the research across science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields is diverse, all of this work takes place within a larger societal context. Providing students with the training to recognize and address these contextual issues, including biases, cultural/historical perspectives and the need for interdisciplinary collaborations and inclusion, will enable them to support diverse voices, diverse approaches and new questions in STEM. This National Science Foundation Innovations in Graduate Education (IGE) award to the University of California, Davis will pilot a cross-STEM curricular component to help students address real-world, cultural complexities within their research context. The curriculum will examine the underlying assumptions in students' research questions by drawing on the social sciences and humanities; provide support for productive collaborations; and foster interdisciplinary projects. A broader perspective will help junior researchers better frame and initiate complex research questions, while supporting diverse researchers and projects.
The curricular intervention will be grounded in social scientific research that illuminates the impact of history, culture, and philosophies of science upon scientific practice. This project will test both the impact of the content on graduate student attitudes and outcomes, as well as the delivery method. The major research questions being addressed focus on: (1) student recognition of societal context for research (including potential bias and societal needs), (2) a culture of inclusion for those underrepresented in STEM fields, (3) interdisciplinary collaborations, and (4) the ability to accurately and appropriately use categories in research (e.g. gender, race). A mixed-methods approach will be used to assess learning outcomes that includes pre/post attitudinal measures, focus groups, thematic analysis of student reflections, and observational data from team projects. Given the complexity of incorporating this type of intervention across multiple STEM disciplinary areas, the project will also test the efficacy of three delivery mechanisms: (1) a ten-week seminar that will directly train two cohorts of interdisciplinary graduate students, (2) a train-the-trainer faculty education program that will measure the utility of this program in specific, disciplinary settings (Engineering and Biological Sciences), and (3) independent learning modules incorporated into programs on campus throughout the academic year. Students who complete training will be encouraged to incorporate this knowledge into their dissertation research project.
The Innovations in Graduate Education (IGE) program is focused on research in graduate education. The goals of IGE are to pilot, test and validate innovative approaches to graduate education and to generate the knowledge required to move these approaches into the broader community.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
