This page collects resources, articles and opinions on how to achieve diversity in STEM and why it is important. (Last update: September 2020).
Stories, Opinions, and Testimonials
- Systemic racism in higher education, by P.H. Barber, T.B. Hayes, T.L. Johnson, L. Márquez-Magaña, 10,234 signatories (Science, 2020)
- Systemic equity in education, by G.A. Barabino (Science, 2020)
- Racism in academia, and why the ‘little things’ matter, by Kevin Laland (Nature, 2020)
- Five tips for boosting diversity on campus, by Danielle McCullough &
Ruth Gotian (Nature, 2020) - Systemic racism persists in the sciences, by Adia Harvey Wingfield (Science, 2020)
- How Higher Ed Can Fight Racism: ‘Speak Up When It’s Hard’, by Francie Diep (The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2020)
- Increasing gender diversity in the STEM research workforce, by Carol W. Greider et al. (Science, 2019)
- Accountability: Federal Research Grants Should Be Tied to Diversity Outcomes, by William Yslas Vélez (Notices of the AMS, 2019)
- Go beyond bias training, by Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton, Colette Patt & Mark Richards (Nature, 2018)
- Harassment Leads to a Loss of Talent, Innovation in Sciences, by Becky Ham (AAAS, 2018)
- Consciously Combating Unconscious Bias, by Maggie Kuo (Science, 2017)
- How One University Closed the Gender Gap in STEM-Faculty Hiring, by Audrey Williams June (The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2016)
- Diversity Benefits Scientific Progress and Society, AAAS CEO Says, by Ginger Pinholster (AAAS website, 2016)
- Parent, carer… #AndAScientist, by Ottoline Leyser (NatureJobs blog, 2016)
- Winners of the AAAS Mentor Awards Offer Ideas for Supporting Science Students from Diverse Backgrounds, by Kat Zambon (AAAS website, 2015)
- The Grassroots Movement to Diversify STEM, by Daniel John Araujo and Andres Nevarez (SACNAS website, 2015)
- Diversity: Promoting New Perspectives, by Chris Tachibana (Science News, 2012)
- Minority Women in the Sciences (SACNAS website, 2011)
Recent Research Articles
- How Gender and Race Stereotypes Impact the Advancement of Scholars in STEM: Professors’ Biased Evaluations of Physics and Biology Post-Doctoral Candidates,
by A.A. Eaton, J.F. Saunders, R.K. Jacobson and K. West, Sex Roles 82, 127–141 (2020) - Does STEM Stand Out? Examining Racial/Ethnic Gaps in Persistence Across Postsecondary Fields,
by C. Riegle-Crumb, B. King, Y. Irizarry, Educational Researcher 48, 133–144 (2019) - Gender and choosing a STEM major in college: Femininity, masculinity, chilly climate, and occupational values,
by R.M. Simon, A. Wagner, B. Killion, Journal of Research in Science Teaching 54, 299–323 (2017) - A recipe for change: Creating a more inclusive academy,
by B. Mitchneck, J.L. Smith, M. Latimer, Science 352, 148-149 (2016) - Women 1.5 Times More Likely to Leave STEM Pipeline after Calculus Compared to Men: Lack of Mathematical Confidence a Potential Culprit,
by J. Ellis , B.K. Fosdick, C. Rasmussen, PLoS ONE 11, e0157447 (2016) - Now Hiring! Empirically Testing a Three-Step Intervention to Increase Faculty Gender Diversity in STEM,
by J.L. Smith, I.M. Handley, A.V. Zale, S. Rushing and M.A. Potvin, BioScience 65, 1084-1087 (2015) - How stereotypes impair women’s careers in science,
by E. Reuben, P. Sapienza, and L. Zingales, PNAS 111, 4403–4408 (2014)
Reports
- The Time is Now: Systemic Changes to Increase African Americans with Bachelor’s Degrees in Physics and Astronomy. Report by the American Institute of Physics (2020). “Although this report was written for and researched about the physics and astronomy disciplines, the relevant research literature spans all of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields, and the report may be useful in guiding research and practices in these fields too.”
- Sexual Harassment of Women: Climate, Culture, and Consequences in Academic Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Consensus Study Report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2018)
- Practical Guide to Improving Gender Equality in Research Organisations. Report by Science Europe describing best practices to monitor and improve gender equality (2017)
- Reducing the Impact of Bias in the STEM Workforce: Strengthening Excellence and Innovation. Report from the “Interagency Policy Group on Increasing Diversity in the STEM Workforce by Reducing the Impact of Bias” (2016)
- Implicit Bias Review (Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity, Ohio State University). This site provides annual reports on implicit bias, entitled State of the Science: Implicit Bias Review
- Creating a Diverse Faculty. “This 36-page collection of articles describes the strategies some colleges are using to diversify the professoriate, and the issues that faculty members from minority and other underrepresented groups struggle with when they take jobs at primarily white institutions.” (The Chronicle of Higher Education Special Report, 2016)
- The Flagship Diversity Divide: The student bodies at large state universities are more diverse than the faculties. But the broader population outpaces them both, by Ben Meyers (The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2016)
- Diversity in Academe: Who Sets a College’s Diversity Agenda? “This special report looks at who actually sets a college’s diversity agenda, and what makes that agenda flourish or flop.” (The Chronicle of Higher Education Special Report, 2015)
- Diversity in Academe: First-Generation Students. “This special report focuses on the challenges facing first-generation students, whose numbers are growing as demographics shift.” (The Chronicle of Higher Education Special Report, 2015)
- Diversity in Academe: Transgender on Campus. “Our coverage features the voices of many transgender students and academics as they gain visibility on campuses and elsewhere.” (The Chronicle of Higher Education Special Report, 2015)
- Diversity in Academe: Black Men on Campus. “This special report looks beyond statistics and features the struggles, successes, and voices of black male students, faculty members, and administrators.” (The Chronicle of Higher Education Special Report, 2014)
- The Quest for Excellence: Supporting the Academic Success of Minority Males in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Disciplines, report (PDF) from the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (2012)
- Dr. Robert Barnhill’s summary of main take-away points of report: Supporting Underrepresented Minority Males in STEM (SACNAS website, 2012)
- Conference Co-Sponsored by AAAS Explores Strategies to Boost Minority Men in Science Professions, by Warren E. Leary (AAAS website, 2012)
- Measuring Diversity: An Evaluation Guide for STEM Graduate Program Leaders, report (PDF) published by American Association for the Advancement of Science (2011)
- News story about the report: “Measuring Diversity”: New Guide from NSF, AAAS, Helps Universities Evaluate Their Efforts, by Edward W. Lempinen (AAAS website, 2011)
Resources
- ShutDownSTEM Resources (2020)
- Trainings on unconscious bias
- Google’s Re:Work Unbiasing page. “Making the unconscious conscious will help you make more objective decisions, facilitate inclusive interactions, and create opportunities.”
- Facebook’s Managing Unconscious Bias. “At Facebook, we believe that understanding and managing unconscious bias can help us build stronger, more diverse and inclusive organizations.”
- AMS Annual Survey of the Mathematical Sciences
- Student Diversity at More Than 4,600 Institutions, published by The Chronicle of Higher Education (2016)
- Handbook on Diversity and the Law: Navigating a Complex Landscape to Foster Greater Faculty and Student Diversity in Higher Education, published (PDF) by AAAS (2010)
- Summary and Highlights of the Handbook on Diversity and the Law: Navigating a Complex Landscape to Foster Greater Faculty and Student Diversity in Higher Education, 2nd Edition, with link to revised 2014 appendix (AAAS website, initially published in 2012)
- AAAS page on Law, Policy & Practice: Reports and Publications with links to the above and other publications
Web Sites with Additional Resources
- University of Arizona diversity and inclusion page
- University of Arizona STEM Learning Center
- NSF Institutes diversity page
- AWM resource page for “Departments & Institutes” including examples of informative departmental web pages
- SACNAS science policy page, including previously published articles and reports
- AMS diversity page
- Reports and publications of the AAAS Center for Advancing Science & Engineering Capacity, which cover topics including mentoring of women in STEM, “Law & Diversity,” and “Broadening Participation”