DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION IN STEM

Specifically, my goals are to
  1. Make my classrooms more inclusive so students feel comfortable regardless of sex, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic background, or national origin
  2. Increase understanding of diversity and its relevance to STEM 
  3. Increase connectivity & cooperation between students to break down barriers
  4. Increase teaching strategies so students with varied learning capabilities can succeed
The STEM field (Science, Technology, Engineering, Technology) has traditionally suffered from a lack of diversity. Although my field has improved considerably in the last few decades, many challenges still exist. My goal is to develop classroom teaching methods that will make all students feel welcome and included, but especially promote an environment that will make members of under-represented groups feel they are welcome in STEM.

EDUCATION & RELATED WORK

I have educated myself on diversity and inclusion practices through the many resources available at the University of Pittsburgh, and through my work with the NAACP Johnstown and the Unity Coalition of the Southern Alleghenies. Likewise, I have presented on the practices that I now incorporate into my teaching. See my Diversity & Inclusion CV for details. 

QUALIFICATIONS

I was awarded the 2018 Provosts Diversity in the Curriculum Award for my efforts to introduce inclusivity practices into my teaching.

​My case study "Do I Belong in STEM" is available through the National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science". This case study provides a framework for any STEM teacher to introduce inclusion practices into their teaching.

I was a panelist in the 2021 Provosts Diversity Summit; "Inclusive Teaching and Why It Matters."

COMMUNITY WORK
COMMUNI-TEAMS COLLABORATORS
Drs. Dawn Drawnak, Stephanie Jimenez, Ryan Kerrigan, Bethany McConnell, Susan Wieczorek, Gerry Zahorchak
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I am committed to promoting diversity and inclusion in my local community as well as in my teaching, and also finding ways to bridge the university-community divide. Within the community, I am an active member of the NAACP-Johnstown, and Co-Chair of the Unity Coalition of the Southern Alleghenies, two local organizations promoted to equality in our region.

With the the financial help of a SEED grant, myself and collaborators at Pitt-Johnstown have begun Communi-TEAMS (Community, Technology, Education, Art, Math and Science). Our program operates in a local housing community, providing 3x per semester activity night in which we provide a hot meal and educational activities to low income youth. College students serve as mentors at these nights. The goals of our program is to provide mentorship to youth within the city of Johnstown, while also improving cultural competency within Pitt-Johnstown college students.

While the pandemic has put a pause on our program we still managed to put together "Covid bags" full of fun and educational activities for children in the Greater Johnstown school district, as well as masks and hand sanitizer.