This episode of The Inquiry Oasis we dive into the REEDS (Research on Educational Equity and Diversity in STEM) Fellowship Program at the University of Arizona College of Education. Funded by a significant NSF grant, this initiative aims to reshape STEM education through research focused on creating inclusive and diverse learning environments. The episode features conversations with the first cohort of REEDS fellows - Drs. Abby Rocha, Sy Simms, Nicholas Witt, and Shakuntala Devi Gopal - who share their individual research projects, personal inspirations, and experiences in transitioning from graduate students to postdoctoral scholars. They reflect on the intersection of STEM, diversity, and education, and discuss how their work contributes to a more equitable academic landscape.
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Recommended Books/Papers:
This episode of The Inquiry Oasis we dive into the REEDS (Research on Educational Equity and Diversity in STEM) Fellowship Program at the University of Arizona College of Education. Funded by a significant NSF grant, this initiative aims to reshape STEM education through research focused on creating inclusive and diverse learning environments. The episode features conversations with the first cohort of REEDS fellows - Drs. Abby Rocha, Sy Simms, Nicholas Witt, and Shakuntala Devi Gopal - who share their individual research projects, personal inspirations, and experiences in transitioning from graduate students to postdoctoral scholars. They reflect on the intersection of STEM, diversity, and education, and discuss how their work contributes to a more equitable academic landscape.
Topics Discussed:
Recommended Books/Papers:
Welcome to the Inquiry Oasis, the University of Arizona College of Education's podcast, here in the heart of the Sonoran Desert. We bring you conversations with our esteemed faculty members and staff, whose research impacts lives from southern Arizona to the far reaches of the globe. We explore the transformative power of education in this border town, where diverse cultures and ideas converge, weaving a tapestry of innovation with compassion and a sense of wonder. So join us as we journey through the sands of curiosity, unearthing insights that enrich and inspire. Sit back and relax as we invite you to dive into the Inquiry Oasis. Welcome back to the Inquiry Oasis, I'm your host, Jeffrey Anthony, and it's a pleasure to have you join us for another insightful episode today. We have a special episode. We're not just exploring new intellectual territories, but also embracing a new voice to guide us through this journey. I'm thrilled to pass the hosting baton to Dr. Heather Haeger, the research director for the STEM Learning Center, assistant professor in Educational Policy Studies and Practice and a familiar voice from episode number four. Heather, I'm excited to hand over the reins to you for today's fascinating discussion. Take it from here.
Dr. Heather Haeger:Thank you, Jeffrey, for this opportunity. Today, we're diving into an exceptionally pertinent and transformative topic, the Research on Educational Equity and Diversity in STEM or REEDS Fellowship Program at the University of Arizona College of Education. This initiative is funded by a 1.25 million grant from the National Science Foundation that aims to reshape STEM education by conducting research on creating more inclusive and diverse learning environments. Our focus is not just on high school and college students, but on reaching communities that have been historically underrepresented in STEM fields. This includes students of color, women, members of the LGBTQ plus community, and first generation college students. Our first cohort of REEDS fellows, Drs. Abby Rocha, Sy Simms, Nicholas Witt, and Davi Gopal have incredible backgrounds and bring a wealth of knowledge and unique perspectives to the REEDS Fellowship Program. So let's dive in. To start with, I'm wondering if each of you could briefly tell us about your REEDS research project and what inspired you to apply for the program.
Dr. Nicholas Witt:I'll go first. I feel like I need to shake off some nerves, okay, so, the project I'm working on is titled Serving Us Through Culturally Affirming Mathematics Curriculum. there's a set of curriculum materials that was developed here by a team led by Dr. Guadalosano. The curriculum aims to support, teaching authentic, rigorous mathematics through local place based contexts that are affirming of identity and strengths. It centers Tucson, its borderlands, and the Southwest, while also highlighting the strength, beauty, and societal thriving tied to people, place, and identities from the region. We've been gathering and analyzing data on how teachers engage with curriculum materials and how it may support them in serving their students, and that is specifically Hispanic or Latinx students. Um, and so how I, came to applying to the program and Why I applied to it is that, I tend to gravitate towards, people, I think, and, people who I admire. And so I had the university of Arizona on my radar because of some researchers in mathematics education, whose work I found inspirational. so, just kind of looking through what's happening at the university of Arizona. I came across this opportunity, and reading about The various parts of the project I found all really interesting and they all resonated with me in different ways, but the culturally affirming curriculum part, really connected with me and when I began my graduate career, one of the first topics I was really interested in is, teaching mathematics through social justice or for social justice, and, there's a lot of similarities and connections to be made I ended up pursuing some different research opportunities, and so I saw this as an opportunity to reconnect with, one of my beginning interests in, being a mathematics educator and mathematics education researcher.
Dr. Heather Haeger:Thank you, Nick. Davi, would you like to tell us about your research and what interested you in the project?
Dr. Shakuntala Devi Gopal:Yeah, thank you, Heather. so I'm going to start off by talking a little bit about, what brought me to this program, to this fellowship, and then the work that I'm doing now. So, like you Syd, my name is Davi, Um, my work has So far all been pretty much about how we think about, equitable access to STEM for our most marginalized learners. So when I saw the call for this fellowship, it seemed like all the potential projects that I could be slotted for all really engaged this question. So, my work was aligned and it seemed like the work that any fellow in this program, Would be aligned with, my interests as well. Also because it seemed like there was an opportunity here for me to learn, beyond where I've been so far. A lot of my work has had to do with how we create equitable opportunities for, STEM learners who are marginalized in various ways at the high school level. And I had never really worked in higher education in that respect before, and I hadn't really considered the challenges of some education at that level before either. So it seemed like this would be a natural next step that I really could learn and gain quite a lot from. So now I work with Dr. Regina Deil-Amen on a project funded by NSF, the National Science Foundation's S-STEM grant, and it's designed to explore what happens when you provide, underrepresented undergrad students who are pursuing STEM majors, appropriate supports in terms of transfer support, in terms of, appropriate mentorship, in terms of research opportunities, financial help. So we're in the right now we're in progress with looking at all of this, interview data with these various students who have been able to participate in this programming and seeing what has worked for them, what has not worked for them in terms of, these supports being responsive to their needs, whether that be generally or culturally, or something else. I've learned quite a lot from this project, like the fact that transfer students in STEM are usually the most forgotten about. so this project has really been a big deal.
Dr. Heather Haeger:Thank you. Sy, would you like to tell us about your project and interest in the program next?
Dr. Sy Simms:Yeah, sure. Of course. Hey y'all, for those who are listening at home, my name is Sy Simms. I use they/them pronouns. and my project specifically is working with Dr. Haeger herself. I would say some of this is very much stemming from my own dissertation research, which was looking at the motivations and orientations of, student affairs practitioners who do DEI work. And so, when I saw this, call looking for postdocs, specifically looking at how do we implement diversity programs and initiatives. I was like, let me at least try and throw my hat in the ring. And somehow things worked out, so to speak. And so I would say, Dr. Haeger and I are working on a couple of different projects, all looking at the kind of broader concept around institutional diversity efforts. So thinking about how do institutions address inequity through either programming, support, different diversity initiatives, and so I've joined a couple of research teams, but one thing that we are, really moving full speed ahead on is looking at how sense of belonging is addressed institutionally through programming and thinking about how do undergraduate field work Um, and how can those translate to thinking about how my institutions provide research support, different types of, interventions with regard to preparation for underrepresented or historically underrepresented individuals and first gen college students. And I think for me, this very much ties into, how I approach DEI, or how I've come to look at what we know as DEI work, and that so often it's done on the interpersonal, so on a one to one basis, right, thinking about how can you or I make individual changes and so often institutions themselves, get to escape or leave and kind of throw all the attention on the individuals. And so I think for me, a lot of my research interests more broadly or thinking about how do we examine or start to address or even explore what institutions accountability and kind of responsibility is in thinking about how they can shift their climates and then their campuses. And particularly when we think about STEM, which has a history of being full of hashtag white men only, right? I think there's a lot of room to really address how we can make these institutional changes. So yeah, I got, I got a chance and I Syd, let's run with it.
Dr. Heather Haeger:Thank you. I'm glad you're running with it with me. Abby, would you like to go next?
Dr. Abby Rocha:Yeah, thank you, Heather. Hi, everyone. My name is Abby Rocha and I am here working with Dr Judy Marquez Kiyama on her culturally responsive curriculum development institute project. so, so what this project is broadly is it's an initiative that aims to support faculty across the University of Arizona in engaging and integrating, culturally responsive, pedagogical and curricular practices by providing these faculty members with, a week long professional development seminar focused on supporting them in redeveloping their syllabi and, providing hands on support to, engage them in culturally responsive, pedagogical practices. so overall our project has two main goals, the first is to provide faculty with a community of practice designed to advance their teaching and knowledge of culturally responsive pedagogies. And then the second, the research aspect of the project is focused on documenting concrete examples of the ways that participating faculty are integrating culturally responsive and pedagogical and curricular practices into their courses. and so with that, I was really interested in joining. This program because a lot of my research has been focused on advancing mathematics teacher teaching. And so I was really interested in the professional development side of this project. However, before coming to U of A, my, a lot of my research was really cognitively focused. And so I wanted to push myself to move beyond investigating ways that I can support teachers and making mathematics meaningful to then extending that to how can we make mathematics teaching meaningful and equitable for students.
Dr. Heather Haeger:Thank you. I love hearing about all the work you all are doing. It makes my heart happy. And I'm interested in this, this point you're at in your career. So you all graduated this past May and have now stepped into your first, academic position. So I'm wondering if you could reflect on transitioning from a graduate student to a postdoctoral scholar and how that often involves an identity shift. What has the transition been like for you, particularly in the context of moving into academic careers? Sy, do you want to speak to that first?
Dr. Sy Simms:Sure, I can speak first on this and I think I will off the bat right say I'm entering this postdoc in a very different situation than the other fellows and that I actually graduated from the University of Arizona. And so in some respect, I was like, you know, I just, I decided to stay but I think part of that was because of the work that was happening here that I was so excited about. So in some ways there wasn't, at least a big transition for me as far as just like physical location and adjustments. I think I moved across the hall from where I had previously been working. And so, you know, moving from an office out of the library, great move. I will tell you that. But I think for me, there were some changes that weren't so monumental, I didn't have to learn where and things were, which I know can be a little bit of a destabilizing thing when you're trying to think about how do you adjust to new workload, how do you learn a new environment, how do you find three new colleagues, right? I think those were all individual shifts that you have to learn and shift. But I think for me, some of that mindset was really about thinking about what should I work. my own approach to workload. I think so much of how being a PhD student and later on a candidate was, is everything was focused on this one thing that would get written and would define how I spent four years in a particular place. And I think so much of what I had been doing around that was in service to my dissertation. And I think a little bit differently, moving into a postdoctoral scholar, I get to have more space to explore the what next question that I found myself asking. Or some of the things that I came up in my dissertation that I was like, Oh, I want to explore this but I don't have time to do this and now I'm so grateful to get an opportunity to not only explore. Some themes that were present in my dissertation research, but have space to really look at different fields and perhaps even disciplines, that I didn't actually have a lot of background experience in. And so, I would say most of the work, particularly in thinking about the NSF, most of my work is either in education and in humanities, gender studies, critical theory more broadly. And so I think to actually take a little bit of a pivot and look more broadly in STEM, I think has been an adjustment both in terms of content, and just kind of learning, I think, lingo, but also thinking about how folks approach research, how people are approaching students, how people are even approaching what the classroom space even looks like. And so I think for me, that has been a really awesome shift to be able to find different ways to integrate. experience and knowledge that I've had, into, perhaps a new discipline or in a new way that I think people might not often, be thinking about what the potential for classroom spaces could be. So I think in that respect, there's been a little bit of, work identity, that has really shifted. But if anything, I think I'm still, enjoying the process of Getting to wake up every day and ask myself, okay, what is it going to be that I look at today? Who am I going to be in this role on a daily? And it's like that answer, I think, gets to change. And, some days I'm a researcher, I'm looking at paper. Some days I'm like, I'm a critical scholar. So I think I'm holding the space for all of the flexibility and my own answer.
Dr. Heather Haeger:Thank you. I didn't think about you being the one with the least physical transition during this time. so maybe we'll hear from Davi next, since I think you traveled the farthest to join us. What has the transition been like for you?
Dr. Shakuntala Devi Gopal:Yes, that's true. I did travel the farthest. I'm coming from the University of Buffalo in New York. Traveling across the country was one thing, but, transitioning from a PhD student, into postdoctoral fellow. I think I'm still trying to figure out what that really means, what it means to be a postdoc. I know one thing I'm grappling with is learning how to step into my expertise in a more fuller way. Of course, as an academic, you're a lifelong learner, but, or, we all are lifelong learners, but the expectations around. What we know or what we should know or what we should be able to speak on has shifted and I'm still figuring out in what ways it's shifted. Especially because being a postdoc. Is this in between space where there are some folks who call us students and I have heard this and it makes sense. And then there are some folks who don't. And so we are in this in between space, not only in terms of expectations in terms of the kind of work that we're doing, because hopefully many of us are extending our dissertation work and turning into something bigger and, maybe even more meaningful. But also in terms of how everyone else sees us. it's very much this in between. And so that's been something I mean, we've been in this role for four months now. And so I still feel like I'm figuring out what it is, what it means.
Dr. Heather Haeger:Thank you. Abby, I don't know if you'd like to talk about how the transition has been for you or what it's been like being in that kind of in between space also.
Dr. Abby Rocha:Yeah, absolutely. so no one said it yet, but just to be really real. It's really weird being called doctor, like that's it's weird. Okay, so I'm still adjusting to that I like when people refer to me as Dr. Rocha I'm still like looking around like who is that that's not me. and so that's an adjustment in and of itself. But I think like intellectually one of the biggest adjustments for me is when I was in grad school, it became very apparent to me very fast like how much I didn't know about the topic that I was studying, how much more there was to learn. And what's weird now is we're now in a space that people consider us experts on the topic. And so that, that mental shift from, oh my gosh, from which I still have to learn and that's still true. Now, people considering me an expert is odd. And so that's something that I am still grappling with, that comes to mind first and foremost. But other than that, yeah, just the general identity shift of I'm no longer a student and now I'm, a professional has also been, eye opening for me. I don't know if anyone has anything else to say about that?
Dr. Heather Haeger:Thank you, Dr. Rocha. Dr. Witt, do you have anything you'd like to add about your transition?
Dr. Nicholas Witt:Uh, yeah, sure. so, you know, in terms of identity shift, I think that is, I feel similarly as, Davi was talking about, and that I think that's still to be determined. I think this has been a great opportunity to just spend some time reflecting and, being introspective and thinking about what is it that I'm really interested in? Of course, I just wrote a dissertation on some stuff that I was interested in, but is that where I'm going to continue to go for the next, many years, hopefully? I will say that the transition has been at times fun and at times challenging. it's nice or fun in that it is a bit of a breather in that, the last couple of years of graduate school in particular, I felt a lot of external pressure to meet these deadlines by set timeline to get on the job market and get a job and move on with your life. And I still, to some extent, feel some pressure to meet deadlines, but, a lot of my work is really self directed and I get to select directions and pathways that I maybe didn't have as much choice over as a graduate student. And so I have this space to catch my breath and recalibrate, reset, and see where my interests, my prior interests, my emerging interests. And, what I see as a potential job opportunities in the future where there's alignment, among all of those things. But overall it's been enjoyable and, I like being postdoc.
Dr. Heather Haeger:Thank you. And I, I guess I'll clarify that this, you all have been accepted to a two year postdoctoral fellowship with the University of Arizona. So you're four months into your your two years here and I love hearing about it being a time to explore your own identity and your research and how you want to show up in the academy. Davi, did you have something you want to add too?
Dr. Shakuntala Devi Gopal:Yeah, I was just thinking as I was listening to everyone about what I would have wanted to know last year as a PhD student transitioning into being a postdoc. And I felt like the whole PhD experience was a race. Where with every mile, I increased my speed and then I got to a finish line and I crossed the finish line, at the second, especially because I defended the day before graduation and, and then I stopped and I got a chance in this postdoc, we're getting a chance to feel the pain in our legs. and feel our heart beating against our chest and like look around and for the first time in for me five years that I've been running the race wonder what it what this has been for and having this time to really think about, like you how is it that I or we want to really show up in the academy, because, like I Sy, we've been focused on this one big thing for so many years. And I'm, I'm sure we have all done other work as well. I know we have done other work as well, but that's what I feel that I'm just standing at a finish line. Maybe I've taken a couple steps forward and I'm just feeling the pain in my body and like trying to recover from that. In fact,
Dr. Sy Simms:You know, Devi, I feel like there's something to be Syd about actually getting, a second to even, acknowledge the pain and the joy, but also just, the sheer exhaustion that I think writing a dissertation, is, of just, like, day in, day out, you know, four, six sometimes in the worst of my days, I was doing like seven hours at my desk, like, or in a coffee shop somewhere, just trying to, like, analyze data, come up with a sentence that's maybe gonna, change an entire paragraph and then delete it the next day, right? I think there's so much of that. And I remember part of the relief that I felt I think once I found out that I had gotten a postdoc and I feel like there were so many people who were like, why didn't you go straight on the tenure track you could have done it and I was like, you're very well right like academically perhaps maybe scholastically could have done it but I think for me, wanted the space and the ability to explore what I could do in a postdoc. But I think when I found out, aside from running out of my front door onto the street and like a circle, and then like my friends being like, what is wrong with you? Um, like came back inside, I'm just like laid on the floor of like, I finally get to stop. And take some space. And I think I'm sure I'll mention this later, but so much of academia gives you no room for space and engaging with space in a way that is not against a tenure clock or not against a publication deadline. And so I think for me to like finding the ways that I can hold that space to take care of my body or what I need has been like such a gift.
Dr. Shakuntala Devi Gopal:So I think we're all saying, Heather, thank you for giving us the chance to breathe.
Dr. Heather Haeger:Thank you. I hope you all do have a chance to breathe and take care of yourselves and, and find your feet in a comfortable way, in a sustainable way in the academy. I think related to that, I'm also curious about thinking back to yourselves as graduate students. And is there something, now that you wish you knew then, or is there a piece of advice you give to your former self as a graduate student? Abby, would you like to speak to that?
Dr. Abby Rocha:Yeah, I think this really relates to what Devi and Sy were saying. In the last four months, I've really, been reflecting on what it means to be productive and what productivity looks like, and I think that something I've come to realize is that in order to be productive, in my scholarship, it's not always sitting at my computer for eight hours every day. So a couple weeks ago, I read this quote, and I don't know where this came from, so I apologize. But it says, if you want to grow flowers, you have to plant seeds first. And it really spoke to me because that process of planting seeds. Like I said, it isn't always sitting at your computer and cranking out a bunch of writing. Sometimes for me it's walking through Costco and just taking that time to breathe and reflect on what I'm thinking about. It could be taking your dog for a walk. It could be painting your house. I don't know what it is for you, but as a grad student, I wish that I would have honored that, and not had been so hard on myself, in the times that I felt like I wasn't being productive when really I needed to, allow my brain and the time and space to go through that reflection process to plant those seeds, to eventually fully accomplish everything I wanted to accomplish.
Dr. Heather Haeger:Thank you. Does anybody else have a reflection? On what they wish their former self had known when they were in grad school or what they wish current graduate students knew that, now, I
Dr. Shakuntala Devi Gopal:think that I knew this, but I didn't really internalize this, that this is really hard to go through this process and. we are entire humans, so we have lots of other responsibilities, to ourselves, to our families, to our partners, so it's important, like Abby saying, to tend to yourself so that you can show up for all those various responsibilities. And then when you PhD process to that, it's just really hard. And so giving yourself grace. is extreme, extremely important. And like Abby said, like getting up outta your chair and just going for a walk. It's not gonna be the end of the world if you don't spend an hour writing a sentence. And that's something that I wish I had, written on a piece of paper and just put it on my wall or maybe several walls so that I would have gotten up out of my chair and taken a walk.
Dr. Heather Haeger:Yes Sy, do you want to add on to that?
Dr. Sy Simms:Yeah. I totally. And I think with some of this is I'm laughing at myself of just like my brain first went to, Oh, practical advice. Your love for posted notes only gets worse. So just, go for it. but I think for me, when I'm thinking about myself, Abby, you really spoke to what it is of you are a whole person outside of your work, and also, for four, maybe five, six years, you were being asked to make this work a huge part of your life. So, I think, for me, if anything, keeping my why, in front of me was crucial, especially in my last year. and there, there had been a lot of kind of personal things that had been going on in my life and cumulated weirdly enough, like in the months before I needed to start writing and defending my dissertation and remembering what my why was made it so much easier. And not always so much, sometimes it was just, I need to do this today, just to even get to whatever today's why is. You know, sometimes it was like, oh, I literally am doing this out of spite because I got annoyed yesterday. So today, I'm writing for an hour, right? Like, whatever that why was, like, I needed to keep it in front of my brain. And I think, there are sometimes you get so caught up and what my dissertation could be as like a final project and then hold yourself in different ways and forget sometimes the why outside of I need to write a dissertation and so for me like just even remembering what either the daily or like my monthly or even this kind of larger Kind of, why am I going to be in education, at least this week, whatever that answer is, was so helpful in making sure that I either met some of the logistical things or even just, found myself being able to come back and sit down, or even come back from outside going on a walk and be like, I don't know if I want to write today. Figuring out what are some of those things that I could do in service to the dissertation or in service to myself, was really helpful. I think the other thing that I would add is, to keep a practice of not this, of not work. And finding whatever that practice is and, making as much of a commitment to that in your remaining time, because I think that did save so much of the little sanity, that I had left or even just, gave me time away from my friends who weren't in the same stage who all set up a, like, Cool. For these 90 minutes, we're not talking about dissertation life. Like having that space just to do that, I think was so important, to free up some of the things that Abby was talking about.
Dr. Heather Haeger:What was your practice outside of work? Do you want to share?
Dr. Sy Simms:Oh, yeah. I feel like I did two, two different things. One, I decided to rediscover what like play looked like. and as you know, a 30 something year old, I was like, I'm gonna go spend an hour in RIP toys or us, but the Lego Isle of Target was great for my sanity. Just giving me something I know I could accomplish if I sat down and for someone who is very, slightly goal driven, it was very helpful. But I think I developed a really regular kind of space away. And so oftentimes would have Friday night dinners with my friends almost every week. and I gave myself 25 ish, sometimes it was 25, sometimes it was only 12, but like time where I didn't think about my dissertation, or I wasn't thinking about what reading I had to do, that I actually got to have that time apart for myself, and the people who I loved in my life. And so I used to joke and say like, people be like, oh, are you seeing anyone? I'm like, the thing that I'm seeing is my dissertation asked me when it's over, when that relationship is over. But outside of that, really giving myself some space where like it was dissertation free time and I got to kind of play and find fun. I, remembered my love for escape rooms, which I have subjected all of the fellows to my love for escape rooms in the last couple of months. But like, just finding that moment to remind myself, Oh, I can laugh. I can lighten myself up a little bit. so when I did have to go on back inside, there was something to keep me going.
Dr. Heather Haeger:I will note, we made it out of the escape room with one minute and 30 seconds to spare as a team. I just like that noted for the record, but I appreciate I think all this advice is lovely for graduate students and also for other people working in research careers, working in academia, how like Davi and Abby were talking about, we're responsible for ourselves as a whole person and not just a research robot, and connecting back to that bigger why we do this. And so I'd like to, think about the why in terms of the communities we do research with and for, and when we started the fellowship, we talked about who do we do research with and who is our research for who are the people in the communities we're connected to through our research. So I don't know if anybody would like to speak to that. Nick, do you want to share?
Dr. Nicholas Witt:Yeah. so, right now, primarily, we're in the project I'm working on the culturally affirming mathematics curriculum. We're working primarily with teachers who have adopted this curriculum or parts of this curriculum, teaching, and they are implementing it in a dual enrollment setting. So that is, high school students that would be earning college credit. so, Well, we are hoping to expand this further, but primarily we are centering, students of Hispanic background or Latinx background. And, we are hoping that, this doing work with curriculum is, interesting in that there's a variety of stakeholders involved. So in thinking about The, stakeholders involved here. That is teachers, parents, students, politicians, administrators, other educators. I think, we have all of them in mind. we are, centering Hispanic community and the stakeholders also involved in serving the Hispanic community. And what we're trying to do is restore balance and. this, what is typically a, white Eurocentric mathematics curriculum, and bringing in other diverse perspectives into what mathematics curriculum looks like and how it can serve them. We have all of the different stakeholders involved here, directly right now, teachers, but, you know, the dream is to keep expanding this work. Thank
Dr. Heather Haeger:you. Does anybody else want to talk about what communities or people are connected to their research?
Dr. Sy Simms:This is Sy, I think for me, what's important when I think about communities who I do research for, I kind of try and reorient myself to that question. I suppose it's not just who this is for, but who am I doing this with? As like a reminder of thinking about how do I approach and challenge power and relationships to power in a lot of the questions that I'm asking. I would say I, in my other life, I like worked in LGBT resource centers and so I think particularly that has been an experience that has shaped how I come to research and how I think about what does it actually mean to sit in a intersection of identities and have those identities all be regulated or have varying power negotiations. And I think for me, what's been really important is to not lose that one focus to, my larger community of folks who I belong to when I'm doing research, right? And thinking of the question, if my younger self was in this room, what would they need to survive here? What would they need to thrive in these spaces? And I think that has been so important and not forgetting, What is my work in service of because I might say that it is not necessarily in service to the institution, but is in service of thinking about how do I work toward justice. And so I think for me, it's always important to remember both who's in this room with me, both behind me on the shoulders of the work that I stand on, as far as academic legacies, but also familial and cultural legacies of like, where did I learn strategies of resistance? Where did I learn practices of kindness? And then how can I use that to guide either the research questions that I'm asking or even just how do I show up in the office or alongside students in the classroom, I think for me thinking intentionally about who has been left out historically and recentering or shifting my work that way as well.
Dr. Heather Haeger:Thank you. And yeah, I think it's interesting to think about who our research is for and then also be doing research that's informing policy at an institution. And so I'm wondering if, might also talk about how our research might shape campus policy or assist leadership in making decisions on campus to support the populations we work with. Abby, I don't know if you want to speak to that from a kind of a faculty perspective and the work you're doing.
Dr. Abby Rocha:Yeah, absolutely. so yeah, the culturally responsive Curriculum Development Institute projects that I'm working on. it has two pieces right now. It has the professional development piece. That's focused on supporting faculty, and engaging in these culturally responsive practices. But then it also has this research piece, right, where we're really wanting to document, the ways in which these practices are ultimately impacting students. As far as changing policy, what our hope is To diversify faculties perspectives to provide them with hands on training, that would enable them to engage in more inclusive teaching practices, which maybe not directly but indirectly can motivate, policy changes by, are supporting faculty and, recognizing students differing experiences, which can then support them in engaging with, various stakeholders that, ultimately make important decisions at the university level.
Dr. Heather Haeger:Davi, would you like to talk about your perspective in, more student focused research that might inform practice and policy at the university?
Dr. Shakuntala Devi Gopal:Yeah, absolutely. I think that this project that, I've been able to work on with Dr. Regina Deil-Amen, the, NSF S-STEM project that was talking about earlier, called the STEM Bridge Project, really directly speaks to the work that Abby is doing, in fact, because, like you said, Heather, it's from the student end. And, in this project, we collect a ton of data from students who are in this project, about their experiences through the program and as STEM students at four year institutions, like the University of Arizona and not only at four year institutions, but also at research intensive institutions like the University of Arizona. And these are students that are, like I said earlier, are transfer students, so they're able to directly compare what their experience was at a community college, versus their experience at the University of Arizona, again, as STEM majors, and compare that and really talk about, not only what's going well, of course, but the barriers they experience to being able to fully be themselves in participating in this journey into STEM careers. Not only that, this program, is being run at an institution that is a, an HSI, right? Hispanic serving institution. And so many of the students that are participating in this program, embody that identity and so we get to have this firsthand look at what, students who again occupy this identity really need to accomplish their STEM dreams. So many of the students that I've gotten to hear from, through focus groups, through one on one interviews, they talk about having had these STEM related goals for such a long time, but not having the access to pursue them. But through this program they not only get to have mentorship, other additional experiences that really prepare them for, the STEM research world, if that's the route they want to go. But also they get a community that they feel like they more closely identify with and, and they get financial help, and that has been a huge deal for so many of them. So from the student end, I have learned. a great deal about the way they feel about their STEM instructors, about the quality of their education as STEM majors. And, they've been able to reflect with me about the, the cognitive dissonance between what they thought it would be like and what it actually has been like to be in an institution like this, that, it has all these accolades, they have their complaints to the students. That is, and these are complaints that they did not expect to have. So it's been really enlightening to that end.
Dr. Heather Haeger:Thank you. You bring up the context of the University of Arizona being a Hispanic serving institution. I'm wondering if anyone could speak to why your research is significant at this institution as an HSI and what impact that has. Nick, do you wanna share?
Dr. Nicholas Witt:Yeah, I'll go ahead here. So, the curriculum we're, studying is, culturally affirming and in particular centers Hispanic culture, as the curriculum aims to center local place-based context, but also does it. while bringing out rigorous and authentic mathematics. Oftentimes contextual mathematics that is just dressed up in some kind of context, but isn't actually, really meaningful to that context. And so the curriculum that we're studying, it has. The mathematical rigor that can prepare students to advance on to advanced mathematics, and that is intertwined in a really complicated way that also, authentically represents, our local context that is Tucson, the Southwest, and Hispanic identities and culture and is affirming of these identities and cultures. So what we see as an opportunity for students to, on the one hand, learn mathematics, important mathematics to help them advance into, some kind of STEM field, but also to see themselves in the curriculum, see themselves as someone who can do mathematics and can connect the mathematics to their identity and culture.
Dr. Heather Haeger:Did anybody else want to add more to that? Davi, did you want to add?
Dr. Shakuntala Devi Gopal:I cannot decide one more thing, which is that in STEM in general, for anybody who doesn't know, black and Latin Individuals are the most underserved and underrepresented in STEM. That is well documented. It's something we know. And there are a lot of scholars out there trying to figure out, how do we support these folks so that they can find themselves in STEM and feel like they belong, have access to it and succeed in it and be prepared for it, you know, prepared for the realities of what it means to be in STEM careers. At least, for me, being able to be a part of a project run at an institution like the University of Arizona as an HSI has been really enlightening because it's given us not only this first hand look at, what students like this need to succeed and to belong and to, get access, but it also, it, this project has also provided what I think is one of the most important Data sets for us to evaluate this issue, which is student voice, student perspectives as told by them. So that's been, really powerful.
Dr. Heather Haeger:Thank you. Sy, do you want to add on to that too?
Dr. Sy Simms:know, Davi brings up a really great point around like thinking about student voices and how do we use student voices and particularly, things that I have seen, not so much in a STEM end, but on the education and as we, we often talk to students, and then we don't really know what to do with that. And I think, in the projects that Heather and I are working on, particularly in around, like, how do institutions address Um, address this and kind of doing some of that translation work, I think has been a lot of fun and some of the work that I'm doing and trying to see, okay, how do we get students, how do we hear what students are saying, and then think what might we do as either staff or faculty, or even say, hey, dear our institution, dear office of STEM equity or STEM diversity, etc. Like here might be some solutions to making sure that we are actually hearing those students and not just taking that complaint in from a focus group, filing away to join it, never being addressed again, but really seeking to say, maybe we have an idea to improve this experience. And then if we don't do it right, please let us know again. And so I think that feed feedback loop stays in process and in practice and so really, I think for me, what's been really important to be at an HSI, especially any really kind of MSI or Minority Serving Institution is that we're actively asking questions and looking to hear from experiences that are so often not taught in classrooms, or not the basis of the literature, which we often read. I think that is so important to Ray and Debbie bring up a great point around these students voices are important, particularly for black and brown Latinx folks, which are so often left out that these are integral voices these are integral experiences, but also these are important students is to our campuses. Right. And so I think all of our work in varying ways gets to touch on how that becomes a reality.
Dr. Heather Haeger:Thank you. Yeah, I appreciate focusing on on honoring that student voice and experience and what our role is in doing that. I'm curious if there's something that you all are really curious about or surprised about maybe in your research or in the fellowship in general. Yeah. I know you all have only been on your research projects for four months, but has there been anything that you found in the study that's particularly surprising or that you're particularly curious to explore?
Dr. Nicholas Witt:yeah. So, we recently had a conference proposal accepted. And, what we were looking at is how this curriculum, can serve as a tool to activate, one's critical consciousness and how, you know, just examining these contexts that involve real life people and places that we can connect with kind of activate these ideas that, maybe allow us to critique place and critique structures that are in systems that are in place, without that being an explicit focus of the curriculum. So I am interested. I've gotten really interested in this idea of what we've started calling critical consciousness resources. And so it's like, what are you reading out of this context that you're able to see in a critical way? And then what do we do with that? Can we, use those, affordance of the curriculum as a tool to facilitate discussion and dialogue in classrooms to help us understand our place in the world, in the community, and, how to critique or maybe, offer suggestions on how to improve structures and systems that have often been used to oppress and marginalize people.
Dr. Heather Haeger:Anybody else have something that was surprising or that they're curious about?
Dr. Shakuntala Devi Gopal:I have a thought on that. I've gotten really interested in, the way students talk about being a STEM person. as, a sacrifice. Whether that be a sacrifice of, themselves and their time or other responsibilities, or sometimes a sacrifice of ethics. because of Because of the kinds of careers that they're finding that are open for them to pursue after the fact. And because of all that's going on right now in the world, and, the way that their eyes are being open to the way STEM fields are being used, for other kinds of means that are maybe not as morally good as they may have, thought of STEM when they started their journeys. So, that has been really interesting. And I've been thinking a great deal about that.
Dr. Heather Haeger:Yeah, it sounds like you're the participants in your research are really grappling with a lot of identity and professional and dissonance in the different kind of pulls and pushes of that. In addition to research, what else has been important to you in this fellowship opportunity?
Dr. Abby Rocha:I can jump in here. and I could have talked about this earlier when you asked how we decided to come here and be a part of this program is, we have immense professional development opportunities as a part of this cohort. And so that's something that really attracted me to this position and that I've been, really grateful for since starting here. So for instance, this one example, I was really interested in learning more about grant writing and getting professional development on grant writing experiences. And thus far, we've had multiple experiences to attend seminars, whether through the NSF. Within the college, but also, at the university as a whole. and so that's something that I'm very grateful for not only be here for broaden in my research experiences, but to, develop more as a professional. Outside of grant writing experiences, we also have had the opportunity or will have the opportunity for some of us to, go to the Steps in the Scholar Journey program that's, aimed at supporting postdoctoral fellows in preparing for the job market. That is something that I found to be extremely beneficial, from how to write, cover letters, personal statements to all the way through the point where I was negotiating an offer for a faculty position. and so I'm just very, very grateful to be exposed to all these different opportunities, alongside of being able to advance my research.
Dr. Heather Haeger:Yeah, that program was too effective you already got a job offer. Do you want to share where you're going to be as a new faculty member in the fall?
Dr. Abby Rocha:Yeah. So I was born and raised in central Iowa and so I will actually be returning home to Central College, a small liberal arts school in Pella, Iowa.
Dr. Sy Simms:Congratulations.
Dr. Heather Haeger:Thank you. Does anyone else want to share anything that's been particularly important in this fellowship opportunity?
Dr. Shakuntala Devi Gopal:Yeah, first of all, yay, Abby. We have to celebrate that soon. so beyond everything that Abby has said, which I completely agree with. I was so excited to be a part of a fellowship cohort, because all of us completed our PhDs during the COVID 19 pandemic. And so three years of our time in the PhD was incredibly isolating. And then when the world started to open up a little bit again, then I think probably all of us were in our writing stage, which is also an incredibly isolating experience. And so when I saw that there were four fellows that were going to be hired for this fellowship and that they were going to be working closely together, I was like, yes. I really want to be a part of that because I want to be part of a community and a scholarly community where we have similar ideas about things and different ideas to that we could talk to one another about and grow in that way. that was really important to me and it's really turned out to be so great. I love that we have this, this cohort.
Dr. Heather Haeger:Thank you. It's a joy to be in community with all of you. Sy, did you want to add something?
Dr. Sy Simms:Yeah, I was gonna, like, co sign, retweet, again, again, again, this notion of, what does it actually mean to be in a cohort? I think, selfishly, I would say I probably have the least exposure in STEM. And. to, to your point earlier, actually, around like STEM identity, I actually always was like, yeah, I am not a STEM person. And I think for me, like, even you bringing up how we identify, like challenge my notion of what does it actually mean to have a particular identity in relationship to a discipline or a field, right? And so the experience of thinking Alongside people who have such varied backgrounds academically, but we are all trying to address a particular issue has been so valuable and thinking about, we literally get to try something new and everything that we're doing. And then I think for me what's also just been exciting is the way that we all get to come back together and talk about what we're doing in different ways, or even just like other life things which has been so helpful because I think you absolutely right. I was writing when the whole world started like opening up again and so really having a group of people who are in the same level professionally where it's not so much. Oh, I need to ask my mentor and do the mentorship dance of oh god I don't know if they really like me, am I in Heather's office all the time like you know like that like that anxiety gonna gets to be qualitative like there are other peers who are in the same spot who I get to kind of engage theoretically, and also personally, as far as like thinking about how we are all here in this work. so that has been, I think, a very beautiful experience and something that's been important to, to stay in a cohort, right? I think so much of how my approach and understanding of education has been in some ways railing against this notion of isolated academics in the tower. And so to be able to say like, we're not, we're all literally sharing an office in the same space, eating, playing music or laughing hysterically at whatever I have decided to say this week. And I think for me that has just been such a gift because I find, and I know that in other institutions or in other steps of my career, I might not have the same group of folks to think alongside. So that's just been a gift and a joy.
Dr. Nicholas Witt:to kind of piggyback off of what, everything that's already been said, my notes for this question are just As simple as meeting and getting to know great people. And there's just been so many people that have, it's not just the one mentor that I'm paired with. I feel like there's so many mentors here. Even this cohort of people in some ways we act as mentors for each other and do writing together and offer advice to each other as we are working together and sometimes just hanging out outside of, the work side of things. So yeah, the people here are a really great resource and, it's just always fun to meet and get to know people with, as you were saying, similar interests and, also different perspectives. Even people within the same field, mathematics education, we just, there's just so much to learn from each other. And so it's been a great learning experience and a way to connect with new people.
Dr. Heather Haeger:Thank you. As we approach the conclusion of our discussion. I'd love to hear from each of you about a book or a paper that has significantly influenced you. Could you share one with our audience and explain why it's been impactful?
Dr. Shakuntala Devi Gopal:I'll start. I'm sure that everyone who is doing culturally responsive work knows this paper, but the one that jumped out to me immediately was the Funds of Knowledge for Teaching paper by, I'm gonna make sure these names are correct, Mol, Amanti, Neff, and Gonzales. I think it was written in 92. And just anybody doing culturally responsive work must know this paper. It's been cited like 12, 000 times or something like that. And it's all about the value of connecting home life, cultural life, of your students to pedagogical practices in some way that really leverages. that kind of prior knowledge or that kind of cultural knowledge, in the design of the learning space so that has really informed not only everything I do, but just any scholarship around, how we make culturally responsive spaces, whether that be in stem or beyond.
Dr. Heather Haeger:Thank you. Abby, do you want to go next?
Dr. Abby Rocha:Yeah. So, mine's, not necessarily for my scholarship, but from a professional development standpoint. This is for all the grad students out there and early career scholars. The book that I chose is The Professor Is In by Karen Kelsky. that book was my lifeline over the last year for trying to navigate the job market. Karen helps you with everything from how to dress in an interview to, like I said earlier, negotiating an offer, writing those statements, preparing for the type of questions that you're going to encounter in interviews. and so that was just extremely helpful. if you don't want to purchase the book, Karen also has a blog that's free online at theprofessorisin.com, I believe. So I, I really encourage you to check it out.
Dr. Heather Haeger:Thank you. I saw a lot of people nodding and excitedly co signing for that book. Sy, do you want to share next?
Dr. Sy Simms:Yeah, there's a part of me that's I resist the question of one and want to bring in four, but I will
Dr. Heather Haeger:stay. The way I anticipated you giving me a list of books instead of just one book.
Dr. Sy Simms:I feel like that speaks for itself. But I decided to only pick one book, I will have you know. and that is On Being Included, Racism and Diversity in Institutional Life by Sara Ahmed. I think I picked this book up somewhere. In my thinking about going to get a master's degree era, then in my master's program, I find myself coming back to it and rereading it over and over again, and I think set a baseline for how I think about institutional diversity work. And so this is, I think, something that I still find myself using in a lot of my scholarship, particularly because I look at institutionalized diversity TM. and to have something that I can use and bounce ideas off of has just been, really important in thinking about the ways that diversity has been used to further, a particular agenda and the ways that institutions use the framing of diversity, equity, and inclusion without actually addressing what actually makes up those components or what even is diversity, equity, inclusion. And so Sara Ahmed's work in general has been, I think so monumental across the board in my scholarship. And so this was, like a no brainer of like things that have defined my scholarship and book list is absolutely this book.
Dr. Heather Haeger:Nick, do you want to share something you've read too?
Dr. Nicholas Witt:Yeah, I will, share, a book, based on, research titled Reading and Writing the World with Mathematics by Dr. Rico Gutstein and, what this is about, well, I'll say why I chose that is, it was something I read early on in my, graduate work, and, I went to an advisor and was talking about what are you interested in, I'm interested in equity, I'm also interested in curriculum, and this is this, foundational, piece that has been really influential in mathematics education, and it really shifted the way I think about, what equity means what equitable mathematics learning looks like and means. And, you know, it's not just about teaching students to know mathematics, but also being able to provide them with opportunities to see themselves in the mathematics and connect it to their lives, connect it to their community also to use it as a tool to critique what people see as injustices in society. And so it's been really influential to me in starting a shift. It started the shift in how I've come to conceptualize what it means, to teach mathematics for equitable opportunities. and, it's, stuck with me all these years so far.
Dr. Heather Haeger:Thank you. And thank you, Jeffrey, for creating this platform for us to have a discussion and a special thank you to all the REEDS fellows for their enlightening perspectives and inspiring work. It really is a joy to work with each of you and to hear from you. Their contributions are not just shaping the future of STEM education, but are also creating more inclusive and equitable academic landscapes. And thank you listeners for joining us today in the Inquiry Oasis. We hope our discussion today has enriched your perspective on educational equity and inclusivity. Remember, we're back on the first and third Wednesday every month with fresh insights and conversations, so be sure to tune in. Until next time, keep your curiosity alive and remember, knowledge is our oasis.