Most scientists that students see in undergraduate educational materials do not reflect the diversity of researchers within the scientific community, nor do they match the identities of students using these resources. This has been shown to have negative effects on students, particularly those from underrepresented groups, leading to increasing dropout rates in STEM fields.
Researchers from Michigan State University and Auburn University are collaborating to better understand and address this situation. The team, led by MSU evolutionary ecologist Marjorie Weber, is using a $1 million NSF grant to study how inclusion of diverse scientist role models in science instruction affects student attitudes toward quantitative learning exercises in STEM courses and careers.
Read the full story on the College of Natural Sciences website.
