Organization

Abstract: There is growing awareness that established structures of higher education are often predicated on problematic assumptions about merit, excellence, and rigor. Doctoral qualifying exams, for example, are required to advance to candidacy in many Ph.D. programs despite decades of documented concerns about the implications of standard modes for student equity and well-being. As more Ph.D. programs move to reform these exams and candidacy requirements, it is important to understand how Ph.D. programs, as academic organizations, construct the significance of the qualifying exam.

The learning curve that accompanies educational transitions can involve culture shock as students adjust to new environments, demands, networks, and responsibilities. Educational institutions have unwritten, implicit rules and expectations within their culture—otherwise known as the “hidden curriculum.” Navigating the hidden curriculum is part of what can make the transitions to college and graduate school challenging. 

This rubric checklist came about as a result of listening to the needs of both IGEN and EGE workshop attendees, as rubrics are one of the tools that our Equity in Admissions workshop series attendees most frequently adopt following their workshop participation. The use of rubrics can help to create more equitable admissions processes, but it can be difficult to know how to design and implement them to be effective.

Departmental support structures for physics graduate students: Development and
psychometric evaluation of a self-report instrument
By Diana Sachmpazidi and Charles Henderson
Date & Time of Journal Club: Monday, June 27th 2022 at 12pmPT/3pmET

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Summary
The American Physical Society’s Bridge Program (APS-BP) has significantly higher persistence rates than

The intersectional privilege of white able-bodied heterosexual men in STEM.
By Erin A. Cech
Date & Time of Journal Club: Tuesday, October 18th, 2022 at 10amPT/1pmET

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Summary

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022.

Educational Pathways for Black Students in Science, Engineering, and Medicine: Exploring Barriers and Possible Interventions: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

"A planning committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will organize a virtual public workshop to examine the financial barriers – including educational debt burden – preventing Black people from entering or continuing education in science, engineering, and medicine (SEM). The workshop will also identify policies and practices that perpetuate those barriers and lay a foundation of knowledge for others to be better positioned to engage on these issues."

3 part workshop, 9 hours total. 

This DOE Laboratories of the Future (LOTF) workshop covered mentorship at the laboratories as a mechanism for creating successful environments and inclusive cultures across all career levels and types.

Melissa McDaniels, a CIMER co-investigator, was the first individual to be invited to participate in this workshop series in two separate academic years. 

Dos and Don’ts for Submitting a Successful AGU Bridge Partner Proposal. 

Remember that the goal of the AGU Bridge Program is to improve equity in geoscience graduate education, representation will follow. Seek equity first rather than focusing solely on numbers of historically marginalized students. Consider reasons behind low representation of historically marginalized students in your department

Align expectations with your mentor, mentee, or project team with these Mentor Compact examples. 

Revist the subject through regular project meetings.