The%20Next%20Steps%20in%20Developing%20Inclusive%20Physics%20Departments

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The Next Steps in Developing Inclusive Physics
Departments

• Juan R. Burciaga
• Department of Physics
• Mount Holyoke College
• South Hadley, MA 01075
• jburciag_at_mtholyoke.edu

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Questions Under Consideration

• Why work toward inclusive physics departments?
• What were the first steps?
• What are the next seps for physics departments
  working toward an inclusive physics community?

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Why work toward inclusive physics departments?

• Disclaimer multiple caveats

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Why work toward inclusive physics departments?

• AAPT Diversity Statement
• http//www.aapt.org/Resources/policy/diversity.cfm
  
• The American Association of Physics Teachers is
  committed to making physics more accessible to
  everyone.  We support efforts to encourage
  greater participation from members of all
  under-represented groups in every part of the
  physics community.  We strive to provide open
  access and employment opportunities to all
  without discrimination

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Why work toward inclusive physics departments?

• APS Joint Diversity Statement
• http//www.aps.org/policy/statements/08_2.cfm
• To ensure a productive future for science and
  technology in the United States, we must make
  physics more inclusive. The health of physics
  requires talent from the broadest demographic
  pool. Underrepresented groups constitute a
  largely untapped intellectual resource and a
  growing segment of the U.S. population.
• Therefore, we charge our membership with
  increasing the numbers of underrepresented
  minorities in physics

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Why work toward inclusive physics departments?

• NSHP Diversity Statement
• http//www.hispanicphysicists.org/diversity.html
• The National Society of Hispanic Physicists
  (NSHP) believes that all individuals, regardless
  of gender, age, race, ethnic background,
  disability, sexual preference, or national
  origin, must be provided with equality of
  opportunity to pursue and advance in physics
  careers. In order to meet that goal the physics
  community within the United States must better
  engage the knowledge and talents of our diverse
  population, increase the viability of physics as
  a career option for all individuals, and promote
  the pursuit of physics careers by historically
  under-represented groups

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Why work toward inclusive physics departments?

• Axiom A diverse, inclusive community is a
  property and an indicator of a healthy physics
  department.

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What were the first steps?

• Actively recruit students from under-represented
  groups
• Incorporate pedagogies that encourage reflection,
  exploration, peer involvement
• Support multiple student communities
• Introduce students to the working physics
  environment
• Hire faculty from under-represented groups

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What were the first steps?

• Actively recruit students from under-represented
  groups
• Faculty involvement is important
• Show the value you place on students to the
• student and to their family.
• Begin the process of mentoring

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What were the first steps?

• Incorporate pedagogies that encourage reflection,
  exploration, peer involvement
• Students must learn what they know and what they
  dont. And that not knowing something at the
  outset is part of the learning process.
• Students must learn that trying and failing is
  part of the learning process.

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What were the first steps?

• Incorporate pedagogies that encourage reflection,
  exploration, peer involvement
• Students must learn how to work in groups. That
  is how to learn from and how to contribute to
  groups.

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What were the first steps?

• Support multiple student communities
• Do not think in terms of a single student
  community but multiple ones. Even a strong and
  vibrant community can be a hostile one. Multiple
  communities allow diverse students an opportunity
  to each find a niche.
• Remember that students are frequently in conflict
  each wants to be valued for their uniqueness
  but also desire to be part of the group.

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What were the first steps?

• Support multiple student communities
• Send the message that students are expected to
  challenge one another but they are also expected
  to support one another.
• Provide places for students to study and work
  together. Places under their control if possible.

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What were the first steps?

• Introduce students to the working physics
  environment
• Basically undergraduate research.
• Allow students to succeed outside the classroom
  how to work in groups ... how to generate and
  modify an inquiry how to think and talk through
  ideas how to test themselves and vaidate their
  own understanding.
• Give responsibility to the student.

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What were the first steps?

• Introduce students to the working physics
  environment
• Provide multiple mentors to the students.
• Allow students to be mentors in turn.

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What were the first steps?

• Hire faculty from under-represented groups
• Despite the best will in the world many
  departments still lag in this area.
• Study Best Practice search protocols
• APS COM Tips for Hiring and Recruiting
  Minorities
• and Women for Faculty Positions
• Outside monitor 2 or 3 minority advocates use
  
• the advocacy societies

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What were the first steps?

• Hire faculty from under-represented groups
• JoAnn Moddy, Faculty Diversity Removing the
  Barriers, 2011
• Set up a criteria matrix, show evidence take
  your time avoid numerical rankings prepare
  search committee

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What were the first steps?

• Hire faculty from under-represented groups
• Commit to a two or three year search
• Do not be in a hurry to fill tenure-track slots

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What are the Next Steps?

• Have a conversation/take a workshop
• Invest in the faculty
• Support the students
• Build vertical and horizontal bridges
• Bring in outside evaluation

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What are the Next Steps?

• Have a conversation/take a workshop
• AAPT workshops third-party workshops
• An example of institutional change
• Workshops freely available to all faculty all
  staff required to take workshop all search
  committee chairs required to take workshop

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What are the Next Steps?

• Have a conversation/take a workshop
• Two questions
• What is the value of diversity?
• How much does the department value diversity?

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What are the Next Steps?

• Invest in the faculty
• Actively help faculty, especially new faculty,
  become better teachers, researchers and mentors.
• APS Physics Research Mentor
• Teaching/Learning Center
• New FacultyWorkshop
• AAPT meetings
• Grant workshops
• Leadership workshops

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What are the Next Steps?

• Invest in the faculty
• Promote community among new faculty both within
  the department and across the disciplines
• Reward mentoring and outreach appropriately.
• Protect new faculty from excessive commitments to
  mentoring and outreach activities.
• Continual, formative assessments of all faculty.

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What are the Next Steps?

• Support the students
• In addition to recruiting and retaining think
  in terms of acclimation.
• Provide multiple opportunities for students to
  assume leadership/responsibilty roles in the
  department.
• Provide continual, formative assessment.
• Provide multiple spaces

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What are the Next Steps?

• Build vertical and horizontal bridges
• Extend the community for the physics department
  to reach high school programs, two year colleges,
  graduate programs, and peer schools.
• use faculty and students

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What are the Next Steps?

• Bring in outside evaluation
• Evaluate your efforts (continual, formative
  assessment).
• APS, NSHP,NSBP,

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Other Material

• CIRTL Diversity Resources
• http//www.cirtl.net/diversityresources
• AAS CSWA
• http//www.aas.org/cswa/diversity.html
• AAS CSMA
• http//csma.aas.org/issues.html

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Other Material

• AAS
• Increasing the Number of Underrepresented
  Minorities in Astronomy at the Undergraduate,
  Graduate, and Postdoctoral Levels (Paper I)
• http//arxiv.org/pdf/0903.4506.pdf
• AAS
• Increasing the Number of Underrepresented
  Minorities in Astronomy Through K-12 Education
  and Public Outreach (Paper II)
• http//arxiv.org/abs/0903.4507