Ep 13 Shaping STEM's Future: Voices from the REEDS Fellowship

Episode Transcript
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Jeffrey Anthony (00:01):
Welcome to the Inquiry Oasis, the
University of Arizona Collegeof Education's podcast, here in
the heart of the Sonoran Desert.
We bring you conversations withour esteemed faculty members and
staff, whose research impactslives from southern Arizona to
the far reaches of the globe.
We explore the transformativepower of education in this

(00:21):
border town, where diversecultures and ideas converge,
weaving a tapestry ofinnovation with compassion
and a sense of wonder.
So join us as we journeythrough the sands of
curiosity, unearthing insightsthat enrich and inspire.
Sit back and relax aswe invite you to dive
into the Inquiry Oasis.

(00:45):
Welcome back to the InquiryOasis, I'm your host, Jeffrey
Anthony, and it's a pleasureto have you join us for another
insightful episode today.
We have a special episode.
We're not just exploring newintellectual territories, but
also embracing a new voice toguide us through this journey.
I'm thrilled to passthe hosting baton to Dr.
Heather Haeger, the researchdirector for the STEM Learning
Center, assistant professorin Educational Policy Studies

(01:07):
and Practice and a familiarvoice from episode number four.
Heather, I'm excited to handover the reins to you for
today's fascinating discussion.
Take it from here.

Dr. Heather Haeger (01:16):
Thank you, Jeffrey, for this opportunity.
Today, we're diving intoan exceptionally pertinent
and transformative topic,the Research on Educational
Equity and Diversity inSTEM or REEDS Fellowship
Program at the University ofArizona College of Education.
This initiative is funded bya 1.25 million grant from the
National Science Foundationthat aims to reshape STEM

(01:37):
education by conducting researchon creating more inclusive and
diverse learning environments.
Our focus is not just on highschool and college students,
but on reaching communitiesthat have been historically
underrepresented in STEM fields.
This includes students ofcolor, women, members of the
LGBTQ plus community, and firstgeneration college students.
Our first cohort ofREEDS fellows, Drs.

(01:59):
Abby Rocha, Sy Simms, NicholasWitt, and Davi Gopal have
incredible backgrounds andbring a wealth of knowledge
and unique perspectives tothe REEDS Fellowship Program.
So let's dive in.
To start with, I'm wondering ifeach of you could briefly tell
us about your REEDS researchproject and what inspired
you to apply for the program.

Dr. Nicholas Wit (02:19):
I'll go first.
I feel like I need to shakeoff some nerves, okay, so,
the project I'm workingon is titled Serving Us
Through Culturally AffirmingMathematics Curriculum.
there's a set of curriculummaterials that was developed
here by a team led by Dr.
Guadalosano.
The curriculum aims tosupport, teaching authentic,
rigorous mathematicsthrough local place based

(02:40):
contexts that are affirmingof identity and strengths.
It centers Tucson, itsborderlands, and the Southwest,
while also highlighting thestrength, beauty, and societal
thriving tied to people, place,and identities from the region.
We've been gathering andanalyzing data on how teachers
engage with curriculum materialsand how it may support them
in serving their students,and that is specifically

(03:02):
Hispanic or Latinx students.
Um, and so how I, came toapplying to the program and Why
I applied to it is that, I tendto gravitate towards, people, I
think, and, people who I admire.
And so I had the universityof Arizona on my radar
because of some researchers inmathematics education, whose

(03:22):
work I found inspirational.
so, just kind of lookingthrough what's happening at
the university of Arizona.
I came across this opportunity,and reading about The various
parts of the project I foundall really interesting and
they all resonated with mein different ways, but the
culturally affirming curriculumpart, really connected with me
and when I began my graduatecareer, one of the first

(03:45):
topics I was really interestedin is, teaching mathematics
through social justice or forsocial justice, and, there's
a lot of similarities andconnections to be made I ended
up pursuing some differentresearch opportunities, and so
I saw this as an opportunityto reconnect with, one
of my beginning interestsin, being a mathematics

(04:07):
educator and mathematicseducation researcher.

Dr. Heather Ha (04:11):
Thank you, Nick.
Davi, would you like to tellus about your research and what
interested you in the project?

Dr. S (04:15):
Yeah, thank you, Heather.
so I'm going to start off bytalking a little bit about,
what brought me to this program,to this fellowship, and then
the work that I'm doing now.
So, like you Syd, my name isDavi, Um, my work has So far
all been pretty much abouthow we think about, equitable
access to STEM for ourmost marginalized learners.

(04:36):
So when I saw the call for thisfellowship, it seemed like all
the potential projects thatI could be slotted for all
really engaged this question.
So, my work was alignedand it seemed like the work
that any fellow in thisprogram, Would be aligned
with, my interests as well.
Also because it seemed likethere was an opportunity
here for me to learn, beyondwhere I've been so far.

(04:59):
A lot of my work has had to dowith how we create equitable
opportunities for, STEM learnerswho are marginalized in various
ways at the high school level.
And I had never reallyworked in higher education
in that respect before, and Ihadn't really considered the
challenges of some educationat that level before either.
So it seemed like thiswould be a natural next step

(05:20):
that I really could learnand gain quite a lot from.
So now I work with Dr.
Regina Deil-Amen on a projectfunded by NSF, the National
Science Foundation's S-STEMgrant, and it's designed to
explore what happens whenyou provide, underrepresented
undergrad students whoare pursuing STEM majors,

(05:41):
appropriate supports interms of transfer support,
in terms of, appropriatementorship, in terms of research
opportunities, financial help.
So we're in the right now we'rein progress with looking at
all of this, interview datawith these various students who
have been able to participatein this programming and seeing

(06:01):
what has worked for them, whathas not worked for them in
terms of, these supports beingresponsive to their needs,
whether that be generally orculturally, or something else.
I've learned quite a lotfrom this project, like
the fact that transferstudents in STEM are usually
the most forgotten about.
so this project hasreally been a big deal.

Thank you.
Sy, would you like to tellus about your project and
interest in the program next?

Dr. Sy Simms (06:26):
Yeah, sure.
Of course.
Hey y'all, for those whoare listening at home,
my name is Sy Simms.
I use they/them pronouns.
and my project specificallyis working with Dr.
Haeger herself.
I would say some of this isvery much stemming from my own
dissertation research, which waslooking at the motivations and
orientations of, student affairspractitioners who do DEI work.

(06:48):
And so, when I saw this,call looking for postdocs,
specifically looking at howdo we implement diversity
programs and initiatives.
I was like, let me at least tryand throw my hat in the ring.
And somehow thingsworked out, so to speak.
And so I would say, Dr.
Haeger and I are workingon a couple of different
projects, all looking at thekind of broader concept around

(07:09):
institutional diversity efforts.
So thinking about how doinstitutions address inequity
through either programming,support, different diversity
initiatives, and so I'vejoined a couple of research
teams, but one thing that weare, really moving full speed
ahead on is looking at howsense of belonging is addressed
institutionally throughprogramming and thinking about
how do undergraduate fieldwork Um, and how can those

(07:30):
translate to thinking abouthow my institutions provide
research support, differenttypes of, interventions with
regard to preparation forunderrepresented or historically
underrepresented individualsand first gen college students.
And I think for me, this verymuch ties into, how I approach
DEI, or how I've come to lookat what we know as DEI work, and

(07:51):
that so often it's done on theinterpersonal, so on a one to
one basis, right, thinking abouthow can you or I make individual
changes andso often institutions
themselves, get to escape orleave and kind of throw all the
attention on the individuals.
And so I think for me, a lotof my research interests more
broadly or thinking abouthow do we examine or start to

(08:12):
address or even explore whatinstitutions accountability
and kind of responsibilityis in thinking about how
they can shift their climatesand then their campuses.
And particularly when wethink about STEM, which has
a history of being full ofhashtag white men only, right?
I think there's a lot of room toreally address how we can make
these institutional changes.
So yeah, I got, I got a chanceand I Syd, let's run with it.

Thank you.
I'm glad you're runningwith it with me.
Abby, would you like to go next?

Dr. Abby Rocha (08:40):
Yeah, thank you, Heather.
Hi, everyone.
My name is Abby Rocha andI am here working with Dr
Judy Marquez Kiyama on herculturally responsive curriculum
development institute project.
so, so what this project isbroadly is it's an initiative
that aims to support facultyacross the University of Arizona

(09:01):
in engaging and integrating,culturally responsive,
pedagogical and curricularpractices by providing these
faculty members with, a weeklong professional development
seminar focused on supportingthem in redeveloping their
syllabi and, providing handson support to, engage them
in culturally responsive,pedagogical practices.

(09:21):
so overall our project has twomain goals, the first is to
provide faculty with a communityof practice designed to advance
their teaching and knowledge ofculturally responsive
pedagogies.
And then the second, theresearch aspect of the project
is focused on documentingconcrete examples of the
ways that participatingfaculty are integrating

(09:42):
culturally responsive andpedagogical and curricular
practices into their courses.
and so with that, I wasreally interested in joining.
This program because alot of my research has
been focused on advancingmathematics teacher teaching.
And so I was really interestedin the professional development
side of this project.

(10:03):
However, before coming to Uof A, my, a lot of my research
was really cognitively focused.
And so I wanted to push myselfto move beyond investigating
ways that I can supportteachers and making mathematics
meaningful to then extendingthat to how can we make
mathematics teaching meaningfuland equitable for students.

Thank you.
I love hearing about allthe work you all are doing.
It makes my heart happy.
And I'm interested in this, thispoint you're at in your career.
So you all graduated this pastMay and have now stepped into
your first, academic position.
So I'm wondering if you couldreflect on transitioning
from a graduate student toa postdoctoral scholar and
how that often involvesan identity shift.

(10:45):
What has the transition beenlike for you, particularly
in the context of movinginto academic careers?
Sy, do you want to speak to thatfirst?

Sure, I can speak first on this and I think I
will off the bat right sayI'm entering this postdoc in
a very different situationthan the other fellows and
that I actually graduated fromthe University of Arizona.
And so in some respect, Iwas like, you know, I just,
I decided to stay but I thinkpart of that was because of the
work that was happening herethat I was so excited about.

(11:13):
So in some ways there wasn't,at least a big transition for
me as far as just like physicallocation and adjustments.
I think I moved acrossthe hall from where I had
previously been working.
And so, you know, movingfrom an office out of
the library, great move.
I will tell you that.
But I think for me, there weresome changes that weren't so
monumental, I didn't have tolearn where and things were,

(11:35):
which I know can be a littlebit of a destabilizing thing
when you're trying to thinkabout how do you adjust to new
workload, how do you learn anew environment, how do you find
three new colleagues, right?
I think those were allindividual shifts that you
have to learn and shift.
But I think for me,some of that mindset was
really about thinkingabout what should I work.
my own approach to workload.
I think so much of how beinga PhD student and later on a

(11:59):
candidate was, is everythingwas focused on this one thing
that would get written andwould define how I spent four
years in a particular place.
And I think so much of what Ihad been doing around that was
in service to my dissertation.
And I think a little bitdifferently, moving into
a postdoctoral scholar, Iget to have more space to
explore the what next questionthat I found myself asking.

(12:21):
Or some of the things thatI came up in my dissertation
that I was like, Oh, I wantto explore this but I don't
have time to do this and nowI'm so grateful to get an
opportunity to not only explore.
Some themes that were presentin my dissertation research,
but have space to reallylook at different fields and
perhaps even disciplines, thatI didn't actually have a lot
of background experience in.

(12:41):
And so, I would say most of thework, particularly in thinking
about the NSF, most of my workis either in education and in
humanities, gender studies,critical theory more broadly.
And so I think to actually takea little bit of a pivot and
look more broadly in STEM, Ithink has been an adjustment
both in terms of content, andjust kind of learning, I think,
lingo, but also thinking abouthow folks approach research,

(13:04):
how people are approachingstudents, how people are
even approaching what theclassroom space even looks like.
And so I think for me, thathas been a really awesome
shift to be able to finddifferent ways to integrate.
experience and knowledgethat I've had, into, perhaps
a new discipline or in anew way that I think people
might not often, be thinkingabout what the potential for

(13:24):
classroom spaces could be.
So I think in that respect,there's been a little
bit of, work identity,that has really shifted.
But if anything, I thinkI'm still, enjoying the
process of Getting to wakeup every day and ask myself,
okay, what is it going tobe that I look at today?
Who am I going to be inthis role on a daily?
And it's like that answer,I think, gets to change.

(13:45):
And, some days I'm a researcher,I'm looking at paper.
Some days I'm like,I'm a critical scholar.
So I think I'm holdingthe space for all of the
flexibility and my own answer.

Thank you.
I didn't think about you beingthe one with the least physical
transition during this time.
so maybe we'll hear from Davinext, since I think you traveled
the farthest to join us.
What has the transitionbeen like for you?

Dr. Shakuntal (14:06):
Yes, that's true.
I did travel the farthest.
I'm coming from the Universityof Buffalo in New York.
Traveling across the country wasone thing, but, transitioning
from a PhD student, intopostdoctoral fellow.
I think I'm still tryingto figure out what that
really means, what itmeans to be a postdoc.
I know one thing I'm grapplingwith is learning how to

(14:27):
step into my expertisein a more fuller way.
Of course, as an academic,you're a lifelong learner,
but, or, we all arelifelong learners, but
the expectations around.
What we know or what we shouldknow or what we should be
able to speak on has shiftedand I'm still figuring out
in what ways it's shifted.

(14:48):
Especially becausebeing a postdoc.
Is this in between space wherethere are some folks who call
us students and I have heardthis and it makes sense.
And then there aresome folks who don't.
And so we are in this inbetween space, not only in
terms of expectations interms of the kind of work that
we're doing, because hopefullymany of us are extending our

(15:10):
dissertation work and turninginto something bigger and,
maybe even more meaningful.
But also in terms of howeveryone else sees us.
it's very much this in between.
And so that's been somethingI mean, we've been in this
role for four months now.
And so I still feel likeI'm figuring out what
it is, what it means.

Thank you.
Abby, I don't know if you'd liketo talk about how the transition
has been for you or what it'sbeen like being in that kind
of in between space also.

Dr. Abby Roch (15:36):
Yeah, absolutely.
so no one said it yet, butjust to be really real.
It's really weird being calleddoctor, like that's it's weird.
Okay, so I'm still adjustingto that I like when
people refer to me as Dr.
Rocha I'm still likelooking around like who
is that that's not me.
and so that's an adjustmentin and of itself.
But I think like intellectuallyone of the biggest adjustments

(16:00):
for me is when I was in gradschool, it became very apparent
to me very fast like how muchI didn't know about the topic
that I was studying, howmuch more there was to learn.
And what's weird nowis we're now in a space
that people consider usexperts on the topic.
And so that, that mentalshift from, oh my gosh,

(16:20):
from which I still have tolearn and that's still true.
Now, people consideringme an expert is odd.
And so that's somethingthat I am still grappling
with, that comes tomind first and foremost.
But other than that, yeah, justthe general identity shift of
I'm no longer a student andnow I'm, a professional has
also been, eye opening for me.

(16:41):
I don't know if anyone hasanything else to say about that?

Dr. Heather Haeg (16:45):
Thank you, Dr.
Rocha.
Dr.
Witt, do you have anythingyou'd like to add about your
transition?

Dr. Nicholas Wi (16:51):
Uh, yeah, sure.
so, you know, in terms ofidentity shift, I think that is,
I feel similarly as, Davi wastalking about, and that I think
that's still to be determined.
I think this has been agreat opportunity to just
spend some time reflectingand, being introspective and
thinking about what is itthat I'm really interested in?

(17:12):
Of course, I just wrote adissertation on some stuff
that I was interested in,but is that where I'm going
to continue to go for thenext, many years, hopefully?
I will say that the transitionhas been at times fun
and at times challenging.
it's nice or fun in that it isa bit of a breather in that,

(17:33):
the last couple of years ofgraduate school in particular,
I felt a lot of externalpressure to meet these deadlines
by set timeline to get onthe job market and get a job
and move on with your life.
And I still, to some extent,feel some pressure to meet
deadlines, but, a lot of mywork is really self directed

(17:54):
and I get to select directionsand pathways that I maybe
didn't have as much choiceover as a graduate student.
And so I have this space tocatch my breath and recalibrate,
reset, and see where myinterests, my prior interests,
my emerging interests.
And, what I see as a potentialjob opportunities in the

(18:18):
future where there's alignment,among all of those things.
But overall it's been enjoyableand, I like being postdoc.

Thank you.
And I, I guess I'll clarifythat this, you all have
been accepted to a two yearpostdoctoral fellowship with
the University of Arizona.
So you're four months into youryour two years here and I love
hearing about it being a timeto explore your own identity
and your research and how youwant to show up in the academy.
Davi, did you have somethingyou want to add too?

Dr (18:45):
Yeah, I was just thinking as I was listening to everyone
about what I would havewanted to know last year as
a PhD student transitioninginto being a postdoc.
And I felt like the wholePhD experience was a race.
Where with every mile, Iincreased my speed and then
I got to a finish line andI crossed the finish line,

(19:09):
at the second, especiallybecause I defended the day
before graduation and, andthen I stopped and I got
a chance in this postdoc,we're getting a chance to
feel the pain in our legs.
and feel our heart beatingagainst our chest and like look
around and for the first timein for me five years that I've

(19:33):
been running the race wonderwhat it what this has been for
and having this time to reallythink about, like you how is it
that I or we want to really showup in the academy, because, like
I Sy, we've been focused on thisone big thing for so many years.
And I'm, I'm sure we haveall done other work as well.

(19:54):
I know we have done otherwork as well, but that's
what I feel that I'm juststanding at a finish line.
Maybe I've taken a couple stepsforward and I'm just feeling
the pain in my body and liketrying to recover from that.
In fact,

You know, Devi, I feel like there's something to
be Syd about actually getting,a second to even, acknowledge
the pain and the joy, but alsojust, the sheer exhaustion that
I think writing a dissertation,is, of just, like, day in,
day out, you know, four, sixsometimes in the worst of my
days, I was doing like sevenhours at my desk, like, or

(20:31):
in a coffee shop somewhere,just trying to, like, analyze
data, come up with a sentencethat's maybe gonna, change
an entire paragraph and thendelete it the next day, right?
I think there's so much of that.
And I remember part of therelief that I felt I think
once I found out that I hadgotten a postdoc and I feel
like there were so many peoplewho were like, why didn't
you go straight on the tenuretrack you could have done it

(20:51):
and I was like, you're verywell right like academically
perhaps maybe scholasticallycould have done it but I think
for me, wanted the space andthe ability to explore what
I could do in a postdoc.
But I think when I foundout, aside from running out
of my front door onto thestreet and like a circle, and
then like my friends beinglike, what is wrong with you?
Um, like came back inside, I'mjust like laid on the floor of

(21:15):
like, I finally get to stop.
And take some space.
And I think I'm sure I'llmention this later, but so
much of academia gives you noroom for space and engaging
with space in a way that is notagainst a tenure clock or not
against a publication deadline.
And so I think for me to likefinding the ways that I can
hold that space to take careof my body or what I need

(21:37):
has been like such a gift.

Dr (21:40):
So I think we're all saying, Heather, thank you for giving
us the chance to breathe.

Thank you.
I hope you all do have a chanceto breathe and take care of
yourselves and, and find yourfeet in a comfortable way, in a
sustainable way in the academy.
I think related to that,I'm also curious about
thinking back to yourselvesas graduate students.
And is there something, nowthat you wish you knew then,
or is there a piece of adviceyou give to your former
self as a graduate student?

(22:05):
Abby, would you liketo speak to that?

Yeah, I think this really relates to what
Devi and Sy were saying.
In the last four months, I'vereally, been reflecting on what
it means to be productive andwhat productivity looks like,
and I think that somethingI've come to realize is that
in order to be productive,in my scholarship, it's not
always sitting at my computerfor eight hours every day.

(22:28):
So a couple weeks ago,I read this quote, and
I don't know where thiscame from, so I apologize.
But it says, if you wantto grow flowers, you have
to plant seeds first.
And it really spoke tome because that process
of planting seeds.
Like I said, it isn't alwayssitting at your computer and
cranking out a bunch of writing.
Sometimes for me it's walkingthrough Costco and just taking

(22:49):
that time to breathe and reflecton what I'm thinking about.
It could be takingyour dog for a walk.
It could be painting your house.
I don't know what it is foryou, but as a grad student, I
wish that I would have honoredthat, and not had been so hard
on myself, in the times thatI felt like I wasn't being

(23:10):
productive when really I neededto, allow my brain and the time
and space to go through thatreflection process to plant
those seeds, to eventuallyfully accomplish everything
I wanted to accomplish.

Thank you.
Does anybody elsehave a reflection?
On what they wish their formerself had known when they
were in grad school or whatthey wish current graduate
students knew that, now, I

D (23:31):
think that I knew this, but I didn't really internalize this,
that this is really hard togo through this process and.
we are entire humans, so we havelots of other responsibilities,
to ourselves, to our families,to our partners, so it's
important, like Abby saying,to tend to yourself so that

(23:52):
you can show up for all thosevarious responsibilities.
And then when you PhD processto that, it's just really hard.
And so giving yourself grace.
is extreme, extremely important.
And like Abby said, likegetting up outta your chair
and just going for a walk.
It's not gonna be the end ofthe world if you don't spend

(24:14):
an hour writing a sentence.
And that's something that Iwish I had, written on a piece
of paper and just put it on mywall or maybe several walls so
that I would have gotten up outof my chair and taken a walk.

Yes Sy, do you want to add on to that?

Yeah.
I totally.
And I think with some of thisis I'm laughing at myself of
just like my brain first wentto, Oh, practical advice.
Your love for postednotes only gets worse.
So just, go for it.
but I think for me, when I'mthinking about myself, Abby, you
really spoke to what it is ofyou are a whole person outside
of your work, and also, forfour, maybe five, six years, you

(24:52):
were being asked to make thiswork a huge part of your life.
So, I think, for me, ifanything, keeping my why,
in front of me was crucial,especially in my last year.
and there, there had been alot of kind of personal things
that had been going on in mylife and cumulated weirdly

(25:13):
enough, like in the monthsbefore I needed to start writing
and defending my dissertationand remembering what my why
was made it so much easier.
And not always so much,sometimes it was just, I need
to do this today, just to evenget to whatever today's why is.
You know, sometimes it waslike, oh, I literally am doing

(25:33):
this out of spite becauseI got annoyed yesterday.
So today, I'm writingfor an hour, right?
Like, whatever that whywas, like, I needed to keep
it in front of my brain.
And I think, there are sometimesyou get so caught up and what
my dissertation could be aslike a final project and then
hold yourself in differentways and forget sometimes the
why outside of I need to writea dissertation and so for me

(25:56):
like just even remembering whateither the daily or like my
monthly or even this kind oflarger Kind of, why am I going
to be in education, at leastthis week, whatever that answer
is, was so helpful in makingsure that I either met some of
the logistical things or evenjust, found myself being able to
come back and sit down, or evencome back from outside going

(26:17):
on a walk and be like, I don'tknow if I want to write today.
Figuring out what are someof those things that I
could do in service to thedissertation or in service to
myself, was really helpful.
I think the other thing that Iwould add is, to keep a practice
of not this, of not work.
And finding whatever thatpractice is and, making as
much of a commitment to thatin your remaining time, because

(26:40):
I think that did save so muchof the little sanity, that I
had left or even just, gaveme time away from my friends
who weren't in the same stagewho all set up a, like, Cool.
For these 90 minutes, we're nottalking about dissertation life.
Like having that spacejust to do that, I think
was so important, to freeup some of the things that
Abby was talking about.

What was your practice outside of work?
Do you want to share?

Oh, yeah.
I feel like I did two,two different things.
One, I decided to rediscoverwhat like play looked like.
and as you know, a 30 somethingyear old, I was like, I'm gonna
go spend an hour in RIP toysor us, but the Lego Isle of
Target was great for my sanity.
Just giving me something Iknow I could accomplish if

(27:24):
I sat down and for someonewho is very, slightly goal
driven, it was very helpful.
But I think I developed a reallyregular kind of space away.
And so oftentimes would haveFriday night dinners with my
friends almost every week.
and I gave myself 25 ish,sometimes it was 25, sometimes
it was only 12, but like timewhere I didn't think about

(27:44):
my dissertation, or I wasn'tthinking about what reading
I had to do, that I actuallygot to have that time apart
for myself, and the peoplewho I loved in my life.
And so I used to joke andsay like, people be like,
oh, are you seeing anyone?
I'm like, the thing that I'mseeing is my dissertation
asked me when it's over, whenthat relationship is over.
But outside of that, reallygiving myself some space where

(28:05):
like it was dissertation freetime and I got to kind of
play and find fun.
I, remembered my love forescape rooms, which I have
subjected all of the fellowsto my love for escape rooms
in the last couple of months.
But like, just findingthat moment to remind
myself, Oh, I can laugh.
I can lighten myselfup a little bit.
so when I did have to goon back inside, there was
something to keep me going.

I will note, we made it out of the
escape room with one minute and30 seconds to spare as a team.
I just like that noted for therecord, but I appreciate I think
all this advice is lovely forgraduate students and also for
other people working in researchcareers, working in academia,
how like Davi and Abby weretalking about, we're responsible
for ourselves as a wholeperson and not just a research

(28:47):
robot, and connecting back tothat bigger why we do this.
And so I'd like to, thinkabout the why in terms of the
communities we do research withand for, and when we started
the fellowship, we talkedabout who do we do research
with and who is our researchfor who are the people in the
communities we're connectedto through our research.
So I don't know if anybodywould like to speak to that.

(29:10):
Nick, do you want to share?

Dr. Nicholas Witt (29:12):
Yeah.
so, right now, primarily, we'rein the project I'm working
on the culturally affirmingmathematics curriculum.
We're working primarily withteachers who have adopted
this curriculum or parts ofthis curriculum, teaching,
and they are implementing itin a dual enrollment setting.
So that is, high schoolstudents that would be
earning college credit.
so, Well, we are hoping toexpand this further, but

(29:36):
primarily we are centering,students of Hispanic background
or Latinx background.
And, we are hoping that,this doing work with
curriculum is, interestingin that there's a variety
of stakeholders involved.
So in thinking about The,stakeholders involved here.

(29:57):
That is teachers, parents,students, politicians,
administrators, other educators.
I think, we haveall of them in mind.
we are, centering Hispaniccommunity and the stakeholders
also involved in servingthe Hispanic community.
And what we're trying todo is restore balance and.
this, what is typically a,white Eurocentric mathematics

(30:22):
curriculum, and bringing inother diverse perspectives
into what mathematicscurriculum looks like and
how it can serve them.
We have all of the differentstakeholders involved here,
directly right now, teachers,but, you know, the dream is
to keep expanding this work.
Thank

you.
Does anybody else want to talkabout what communities or people
are connected to their research?

This is Sy, I think for me, what's important
when I think about communitieswho I do research for, I
kind of try and reorientmyself to that question.
I suppose it's not justwho this is for, but who
am I doing this with?
As like a reminder ofthinking about how do I
approach and challengepower and relationships
to power in a lot of thequestions that I'm asking.

(31:06):
I would say I, in my otherlife, I like worked in LGBT
resource centers and so I thinkparticularly that has been an
experience that has shaped how Icome to research and how I think
about what does it actuallymean to sit in a intersection
of identities and have thoseidentities all be regulated or
have varying power negotiations.

(31:28):
And I think for me, what'sbeen really important is
to not lose that one focusto, my larger community of
folks who I belong to whenI'm doing research, right?
And thinking of the question,if my younger self was
in this room, what wouldthey need to survive here?
What would they need tothrive in these spaces?
And I think that has been soimportant and not forgetting,

(31:49):
What is my work in service ofbecause I might say that it
is not necessarily in serviceto the institution, but is
in service of thinking abouthow do I work toward justice.
And so I think for me, it'salways important to remember
both who's in this room with me,both behind me on the shoulders
of the work that I stand on,as far as academic legacies,

(32:12):
but also familial and culturallegacies of like, where did I
learn strategies of resistance?
Where did I learnpractices of kindness?
And then how can I use thatto guide either the research
questions that I'm asking oreven just how do I show up in
the office or alongside studentsin the classroom, I think for me
thinking intentionally about whohas been left out historically

(32:33):
and recentering or shiftingmy work that way as well.

Thank you.
And yeah, I think it'sinteresting to think about
who our research is forand then also be doing
research that's informingpolicy at an institution.
And so I'm wondering if, mightalso talk about how our research
might shape campus policy orassist leadership in making
decisions on campus to supportthe populations we work with.
Abby, I don't know if youwant to speak to that from a

(32:57):
kind of a faculty perspectiveand the work you're doing.

Dr. Abby Roch (33:00):
Yeah, absolutely.
so yeah, the culturallyresponsive Curriculum
Development Instituteprojects that I'm working on.
it has two pieces right now.
It has the professionaldevelopment piece.
That's focused on supportingfaculty, and engaging in these
culturally responsive practices.
But then it also has thisresearch piece, right,
where we're really wantingto document, the ways in

(33:21):
which these practices areultimately impacting students.
As far as changing policy,what our hope is To diversify
faculties perspectives toprovide them with hands on
training, that would enablethem to engage in more
inclusive teaching practices,which maybe not directly but
indirectly can motivate, policychanges by, are supporting

(33:44):
faculty and, recognizingstudents differing experiences,
which can then support themin engaging with, various
stakeholders that, ultimatelymake important decisions at the
university level.

Davi, would you like to talk about
your perspective in, morestudent focused research that
might inform practice andpolicy at the university?

Dr. Shakuntal (34:08):
Yeah, absolutely.
I think that this projectthat, I've been able
to work on with Dr.
Regina Deil-Amen, the, NSFS-STEM project that was talking
about earlier, called theSTEM Bridge Project, really
directly speaks to the workthat Abby is doing, in fact,
because, like you said, Heather,it's from the student end.
And, in this project, we collecta ton of data from students

(34:32):
who are in this project, abouttheir experiences through the
program and as STEM studentsat four year institutions,
like the University of Arizonaand not only at four year
institutions, but also atresearch intensive institutions
like the University of Arizona.
And these are students thatare, like I said earlier, are

(34:52):
transfer students, so they'reable to directly compare what
their experience was at acommunity college, versus their
experience at the Universityof Arizona, again, as STEM
majors, and compare that andreally talk about, not only
what's going well, of course,but the barriers they experience
to being able to fully bethemselves in participating in

(35:15):
this journey into STEM careers.
Not only that, this program,is being run at an institution
that is a, an HSI, right?
Hispanic serving institution.
And so many of the studentsthat are participating in
this program, embody thatidentity and so we get to have
this firsthand look at what,students who again occupy

(35:40):
this identity really need toaccomplish their STEM dreams.
So many of the students thatI've gotten to hear from,
through focus groups, throughone on one interviews, they
talk about having had theseSTEM related goals for such
a long time, but not havingthe access to pursue them.
But through this programthey not only get to have

(36:02):
mentorship, other additionalexperiences that really
prepare them for, the STEMresearch world, if that's
the route they want to go.
But also they get a communitythat they feel like they more
closely identify with and,and they get financial help,
and that has been a hugedeal for so many of them.
So from the studentend, I have learned.

(36:23):
a great deal about theway they feel about their
STEM instructors, aboutthe quality of their
education as STEM majors.
And, they've been able toreflect with me about the,
the cognitive dissonancebetween what they thought
it would be like and whatit actually has been like
to be in an institution likethis, that, it has all these

(36:43):
accolades, they have theircomplaints to the students.
That is, and these arecomplaints that they
did not expect to have.
So it's been reallyenlightening to that end.

Thank you.
You bring up the context of theUniversity of Arizona being a
Hispanic serving institution.
I'm wondering if anyonecould speak to why your
research is significant atthis institution as an HSI
and what impact that has.
Nick, do you wanna share?

Yeah, I'll go ahead here.
So, the curriculum we're,studying is, culturally
affirming and in particularcenters Hispanic culture,
as the curriculum aims tocenter local place-based
context, but also does it.
while bringing out rigorousand authentic mathematics.
Oftentimes contextualmathematics that is just dressed

(37:30):
up in some kind of context,but isn't actually, really
meaningful to that context.
And so the curriculum thatwe're studying, it has.
The mathematical rigor thatcan prepare students to advance
on to advanced mathematics,and that is intertwined in
a really complicated waythat also, authentically

(37:52):
represents, our local contextthat is Tucson, the Southwest,
and Hispanic identities andculture and is affirming of
these identities and cultures.
So what we see as an opportunityfor students to, on the one
hand, learn mathematics,important mathematics to help
them advance into, some kindof STEM field, but also to see

(38:13):
themselves in the curriculum,see themselves as someone who
can do mathematics and canconnect the mathematics to
their identity and culture.

Did anybody else want to add more to that?
Davi, did you want to add?

Dr. Sh (38:25):
I cannot decide one more thing, which is that in
STEM in general, for anybodywho doesn't know, black
and Latin Individuals arethe most underserved and
underrepresented in STEM.
That is well documented.
It's something we know.
And there are a lot of scholarsout there trying to figure out,
how do we support these folksso that they can find themselves

(38:45):
in STEM and feel like theybelong, have access to it and
succeed in it and be preparedfor it, you know, prepared
for the realities of what itmeans to be in STEM careers.
At least, for me, being ableto be a part of a project run
at an institution like theUniversity of Arizona as an HSI
has been really enlighteningbecause it's given us not only

(39:06):
this first hand look at, whatstudents like this need to
succeed and to belong and to,get access, but it also, it,
this project has also providedwhat I think is one of the
most important Data sets forus to evaluate this issue,
which is student voice, studentperspectives as told by them.

(39:26):
So that's been, really powerful.

Thank you.
Sy, do you want toadd on to that too?

know, Davi brings up a really great point around
like thinking about studentvoices and how do we use
student voices and particularly,things that I have seen, not
so much in a STEM end, buton the education and as we,
we often talk to students,and then we don't really
know what to do with that.
And I think, in the projectsthat Heather and I are working
on, particularly in around,like, how do institutions

(39:53):
address Um, address this andkind of doing some of that
translation work, I think hasbeen a lot of fun and some of
the work that I'm doing andtrying to see, okay, how do we
get students, how do we hearwhat students are saying, and
then think what might we doas either staff or faculty,
or even say, hey, dear ourinstitution, dear office of STEM

(40:14):
equity or STEM diversity, etc.
Like here might be somesolutions to making sure that
we are actually hearing thosestudents and not just taking
that complaint in from a focusgroup, filing away to join
it, never being addressedagain, but really seeking to
say, maybe we have an ideato improve this experience.
And then if we don't do itright, please let us know again.

(40:36):
And so I think that feedfeedback loop stays in
process and in practice andso really, I think for me,
what's been really importantto be at an HSI, especially
any really kind of MSI orMinority Serving Institution
is that we're actively askingquestions and looking to hear
from experiences that are sooften not taught in classrooms,

(40:57):
or not the basis of theliterature, which we often read.
I think that is so importantto Ray and Debbie bring up
a great point around thesestudents voices are important,
particularly for black andbrown Latinx folks, which are
so often left out that theseare integral voices these
are integral experiences,but also these are important
students is to our campuses.
Right.
And so I think all of our workin varying ways gets to touch

(41:20):
on how that becomes a reality.

Thank you.
Yeah, I appreciate focusingon on honoring that student
voice and experience and whatour role is in doing that.
I'm curious if there's somethingthat you all are really curious
about or surprised aboutmaybe in your research or in
the fellowship in general.
Yeah.
I know you all have only beenon your research projects for
four months, but has therebeen anything that you found in

(41:44):
the study that's particularlysurprising or that you're
particularly curious to explore?

yeah.
So, we recently had aconference proposal accepted.
And, what we were looking at ishow this curriculum, can serve
as a tool to activate, one'scritical consciousness and how,
you know, just examining thesecontexts that involve real
life people and places thatwe can connect with kind of

(42:12):
activate these ideas that, maybeallow us to critique place and
critique structures that arein systems that are in place,
without that being an explicitfocus of the curriculum.
So I am interested.
I've gotten really interestedin this idea of what we've
started calling criticalconsciousness resources.

(42:33):
And so it's like, what areyou reading out of this
context that you're ableto see in a critical way?
And then what dowe do with that?
Can we, use those, affordanceof the curriculum as a tool
to facilitate discussion anddialogue in classrooms to help
us understand our place inthe world, in the community,
and, how to critique or maybe,offer suggestions on how to

(42:55):
improve structures and systemsthat have often been used to
oppress and marginalize people.

Anybody else have something that
was surprising or thatthey're curious about?

Dr. S (43:06):
I have a thought on that.
I've gotten really interestedin, the way students talk
about being a STEM person.
as, a sacrifice.
Whether that be a sacrificeof, themselves and their time
or other responsibilities, orsometimes a sacrifice of ethics.
because of Because of thekinds of careers that they're

(43:28):
finding that are open forthem to pursue after the fact.
And because of all that's goingon right now in the world,
and, the way that their eyesare being open to the way STEM
fields are being used, for otherkinds of means that are maybe
not as morally good as theymay have, thought of STEM when
they started their journeys.
So, that has beenreally interesting.

(43:49):
And I've been thinkinga great deal about that.

Yeah, it sounds like you're the
participants in your researchare really grappling with a lot
of identity and professional anddissonance in the different kind
of pulls and pushes of that.
In addition to research, whatelse has been important to you
in this fellowship opportunity?

I can jump in here.
and I could have talked aboutthis earlier when you asked
how we decided to come here andbe a part of this program is,
we have immense professionaldevelopment opportunities
as a part of this cohort.
And so that's somethingthat really attracted me
to this position and thatI've been, really grateful

(44:26):
for since starting here.
So for instance, thisone example, I was really
interested in learning moreabout grant writing and getting
professional development ongrant writing experiences.
And thus far, we've had multipleexperiences to attend seminars,
whether through the NSF.
Within the college, but also,at the university as a whole.

(44:48):
and so that's something thatI'm very grateful for not
only be here for broaden in myresearch experiences, but to,
develop more as a professional.
Outside of grant writingexperiences, we also have had
the opportunity or will have theopportunity for some of us to,
go to the Steps in the ScholarJourney program that's, aimed at

(45:08):
supporting postdoctoral fellowsin preparing for the job market.
That is something that I foundto be extremely beneficial,
from how to write, coverletters, personal statements to
all the way through the pointwhere I was negotiating an
offer for a faculty position.
and so I'm just very, verygrateful to be exposed to all

(45:29):
these different opportunities,alongside of being able
to advance my research.

Yeah, that program was too effective
you already got a job offer.
Do you want to share whereyou're going to be as a new
faculty member in the fall?

Yeah.
So I was born and raised incentral Iowa and so I will
actually be returning home toCentral College, a small liberal
arts school in Pella, Iowa.

Congratulations.

Thank you.
Does anyone else want toshare anything that's been
particularly important inthis fellowship opportunity?
Yeah, first of all, yay, Abby.
We have to celebrate that soon.
so beyond everything thatAbby has said, which I
completely agree with.
I was so excited to be a partof a fellowship cohort, because

(46:12):
all of us completed our PhDsduring the COVID 19 pandemic.
And so three years ofour time in the PhD was
incredibly isolating.
And then when the world startedto open up a little bit again,
then I think probably all ofus were in our writing stage,
which is also an incrediblyisolating experience.

(46:36):
And so when I saw that therewere four fellows that were
going to be hired for thisfellowship and that they were
going to be working closelytogether, I was like, yes.
I really want to be a partof that because I want to
be part of a community and ascholarly community where we
have similar ideas about thingsand different ideas to that
we could talk to one anotherabout and grow in that way.

(46:58):
that was really importantto me and it's really
turned out to be so great.
I love that we havethis, this cohort.
Thank you.
It's a joy to be incommunity with all of you.
Sy, did you wantto add something?

Yeah, I was gonna, like, co sign, retweet,
again, again, again, thisnotion of, what does it
actually mean to be in a cohort?
I think, selfishly, I wouldsay I probably have the
least exposure in STEM.
And.
to, to your point earlier,actually, around like
STEM identity, I actuallyalways was like, yeah,
I am not a STEM person.

(47:31):
And I think for me, like,even you bringing up how we
identify, like challenge mynotion of what does it actually
mean to have a particularidentity in relationship to a
discipline or a field, right?
And so the experience ofthinking Alongside people who
have such varied backgroundsacademically, but we are all
trying to address a particularissue has been so valuable and

(47:53):
thinking about, we literallyget to try something new and
everything that we're doing.
And then I think for me what'salso just been exciting is
the way that we all get tocome back together and talk
about what we're doing indifferent ways, or even just
like other life things whichhas been so helpful because
I think you absolutely right.
I was writing when the wholeworld started like opening
up again and so really havinga group of people who are in

(48:16):
the same level professionallywhere it's not so much.
Oh, I need to ask my mentor anddo the mentorship dance of oh
god I don't know if they reallylike me, am I in Heather's
office all the time like youknow like that like that anxiety
gonna gets to be qualitativelike there are other peers who
are in the same spot who I getto kind of engage theoretically,
and also personally, as faras like thinking about how

(48:37):
we are all here in this work.
so that has been, I think, avery beautiful experience and
something that's been importantto, to stay in a cohort, right?
I think so much of how myapproach and understanding of
education has been in some waysrailing against this notion of
isolated academics in the tower.
And so to be able to saylike, we're not, we're all
literally sharing an officein the same space, eating,

(49:01):
playing music or laughinghysterically at whatever I
have decided to say this week.
And I think for me that hasjust been such a gift because
I find, and I know that inother institutions or in
other steps of my career, Imight not have the same group
of folks to think alongside.
So that's just beena gift and a joy.

to kind of piggyback off of what,
everything that's alreadybeen said, my notes for
this question are justAs simple as meeting and
getting to know great people.
And there's just been somany people that have, it's
not just the one mentorthat I'm paired with.
I feel like there'sso many mentors here.
Even this cohort of people insome ways we act as mentors

(49:39):
for each other and do writingtogether and offer advice to
each other as we are workingtogether and sometimes just
hanging out outside of,the work side of things.
So yeah, the people here are areally great resource and, it's
just always fun to meet and getto know people with, as you were
saying, similar interests and,also different perspectives.

(50:03):
Even people within the samefield, mathematics education,
we just, there's just so muchto learn from each other.
And so it's been a greatlearning experience and a way
to connect with new people.

Thank you.
As we approach theconclusion of our discussion.
I'd love to hear fromeach of you about a
book or a paper that hassignificantly influenced you.
Could you share one withour audience and explain
why it's been impactful?

Dr. Shakuntala Devi (50:27):
I'll start.
I'm sure that everyone who isdoing culturally responsive
work knows this paper, butthe one that jumped out to
me immediately was the Fundsof Knowledge for Teaching
paper by, I'm gonna make surethese names are correct, Mol,
Amanti, Neff, and Gonzales.
I think it was written in 92.
And just anybody doingculturally responsive

(50:48):
work must know this paper.
It's been cited like 12, 000times or something like that.
And it's all about the value ofconnecting home life, cultural
life, of your students topedagogical practices in some
way that really leverages.
that kind of prior knowledge orthat kind of cultural knowledge,
in the design of the learningspace so that has really

(51:11):
informed not only everythingI do, but just any scholarship
around, how we make culturallyresponsive spaces, whether
that be in stem or beyond.

Thank you.
Abby, do you want to go next?

Yeah.
So, mine's, not necessarilyfor my scholarship,
but from a professionaldevelopment standpoint.
This is for all the gradstudents out there and
early career scholars.
The book that I chose is TheProfessor Is In by Karen Kelsky.
that book was my lifelineover the last year for trying
to navigate the job market.

(51:44):
Karen helps you with everythingfrom how to dress in an
interview to, like I saidearlier, negotiating an offer,
writing those statements,preparing for the type of
questions that you're goingto encounter in interviews.
and so that was justextremely helpful.
if you don't want to purchasethe book, Karen also has a
blog that's free online attheprofessorisin.com, I believe.

(52:07):
So I, I really encourageyou to check it out.

Thank you.
I saw a lot of peoplenodding and excitedly co
signing for that book.
Sy, do you want to share next?

Yeah, there's a part of me that's I resist
the question of one and wantto bring in four, but I will

stay.
The way I anticipated yougiving me a list of books
instead of just one book.

I feel like that speaks for itself.
But I decided to only pick onebook, I will have you know.
and that is On BeingIncluded, Racism and
Diversity in InstitutionalLife by Sara Ahmed.
I think I picked thisbook up somewhere.
In my thinking about goingto get a master's degree era,

(52:45):
then in my master's program,I find myself coming back to
it and rereading it over andover again, and I think set a
baseline for how I think aboutinstitutional diversity work.
And so this is, I think,something that I still
find myself using in alot of my scholarship,
particularly because I look atinstitutionalized diversity TM.

(53:07):
and to have something thatI can use and bounce ideas
off of has just been, reallyimportant in thinking about the
ways that diversity has beenused to further, a particular
agenda and the ways thatinstitutions use the framing of
diversity, equity, and inclusionwithout actually addressing
what actually makes up thosecomponents or what even is

(53:28):
diversity, equity, inclusion.
And so Sara Ahmed's work ingeneral has been, I think
so monumental across theboard in my scholarship.
And so this was, like a nobrainer of like things that have
defined my scholarship and booklist is absolutely this book.

Nick, do you want to share
something you've read too?

Yeah, I will, share, a book, based
on, research titled Readingand Writing the World
with Mathematics by Dr.
Rico Gutstein and, what thisis about, well, I'll say
why I chose that is, it wassomething I read early on
in my, graduate work, and,I went to an advisor and was

(54:06):
talking about what are youinterested in, I'm interested
in equity, I'm also interestedin curriculum, and this is
this, foundational, piece thathas been really influential
in mathematics education, andit really shifted the way I
think about, what equity meanswhat equitable mathematics
learning looks like and means.
And, you know, it's not justabout teaching students to

(54:29):
know mathematics, but alsobeing able to provide them
with opportunities to seethemselves in the mathematics
and connect it to theirlives, connect it to their
community also to use it as atool to critique what people
see as injustices in society.
And so it's been reallyinfluential to me
in starting a shift.

(54:50):
It started the shift in howI've come to conceptualize what
it means, to teach mathematicsfor equitable opportunities.
and, it's, stuck with meall these years so far.

Thank you.
And thank you, Jeffrey, forcreating this platform for us to
have a discussion and a specialthank you to all the REEDS
fellows for their enlighteningperspectives and inspiring work.
It really is a joy towork with each of you
and to hear from you.
Their contributions are notjust shaping the future of
STEM education, but are alsocreating more inclusive and
equitable academic landscapes.

(55:22):
And thank you listenersfor joining us today
in the Inquiry Oasis.
We hope our discussiontoday has enriched your
perspective on educationalequity and inclusivity.
Remember, we're back on thefirst and third Wednesday
every month with freshinsights and conversations,
so be sure to tune in.
Until next time, keep yourcuriosity alive and remember,
knowledge is our oasis.

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Ep 13 Shaping STEM's Future: Voices from the REEDS Fellowship