Seminar: "Uprooting Social Inequity in STEMthrough Frameworks of Creativity and Care(ing)"
Presented by: Dr. Jennifer Adams
Abstract:
From the earliest decisions about survival to contemporary
technoscientific innovations, humans have always applied creativity to decision
making and problem-solving. However, the historical context and presumed
objectivity of science has contributed to the social inequities that we
experience both in the underrepresentation of racialized students and in the
ways that science is experienced by different populations. In order to
transform science to be more welcoming of diverse people and perspectives we must
consider the historical context of science in order to elucidate the
foundations of social inequities while working to create spaces of belonging
and flourishing in STEM education and research. In this talk I will argue that
to foster a diverse student body in STEM we must consider the historical
foundations while enacting pedagogical practices that foster equity in STEM
teaching, learning and research. Adams’ Creativity, Equity, Justice and STEMM
Lab focuses on equity in STEM teaching and learning environments with an
emphasis on creative, identity-affirming, anti-deficit, and justice-oriented
approaches. Emphasizing research-to-practice approaches, the Adams lab is
a collaborative space were students and faculty co-create meanings,
understandings and practices around expanding opportunities for belonging and
flourishing for diverse students in STEMM.
Bio:
Jennifer D. Adams is a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair of Creativity,
Equity, Justice, and STEM and Professor at The University of Calgary, Faculty
of Science and affiliation with the Werklund School of Education. She is
the PI of the Creativity, Equity and STEM Lab where she and her team research
equity in STEM teaching and learning environments with an emphasis on
identity-affirming, anti-deficit, desiring, and justice-oriented approaches.
She is in leadership on several Canadian national projects including “Securing
Black Futures” which seeks to increase the visibility and support the
flourishing of Black students in STEM and the Canadian Black Scientists Network
where she serves on the steering committee and leads the Beyond Borders project
which examines research, policy and practice in Canada and the United States
around equity and justice in STEM education and careers for Black students. Dr. Adams was recognized by the
Calgary Black Chambers with an award for Black Achievement in STEM. She was an NSF Early CAREER award
winner and has served on the executive
board of the National Association of Research in Science Teaching and on
advisories for NSF-funded grant projects that focus on racial and/or gender
equity in STEM. She also serves on the editorial board for Cultural
Studies in Science Education, Journal of Research in Science Education and
International Journal of Informal Science and Environmental Learning. Her prior
appointments include Brooklyn
College and The Graduate Center, City University of New York, the American
Museum of Natural History, and The New York City Department of Education, where
she taught High School Biology and Earth Science. In her free time she enjoys
triathlon training, ocean swimming, mountain running and other forms of Type 2
fun!
Category
Physics Seminars
Time
Location
Dunn 221C