racial identity (i.e., visibility ofPOC) was often equated with inability and stereotypes in engineering [40]. Thus, claiming thatcolor-neutral attitudes exist in engineering negates the lived experiences of POC and thehypervisibility they are constantly exposed to in classroom, laboratories, or team activities.Colorblindness, and the idea that attitudes and behaviors in engineering are race-neutral, alsolead to issues of “otherness,” racialization, and cultural dissonance [41], [42], all of which havedetrimental effects on students of color. Moreover, colorblindness institutionalizes racism without asking for accountability whenracist acts occur. For instance, McGee argued that racism in STEM continues to exist becauseracially hostile
Microbiology at a Hispanic-serving community college in Miami, Florida. As an educator, they utilized equitable teaching practices & encouraged student agency to ensure positive learning outcomes. Their first year of PhD research focused on undergraduate student perceptions of social responsibility in STEMM, with special emphasis placed on the importance of science communication & policy advocacy, as well as the intersection of institutional culture & transformational change towards cultivating more inclusive & equitable access for underrepresented minority students in STEMM fields. They are now pivoting to explore critical mentorship & building out a new study. Outside of their research, they are the
Paper ID #32428Creating an Inclusive Engineering Student Culture Through Diverse Teams:Instructor-led and Student-led ApproachesDr. Heather Dillon, University of Washington Tacoma Dr. Heather Dillon is Professor and Chair of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Washington Tacoma. Her research team is working on energy efficiency, renewable energy, fundamental heat transfer, and engineering education. Before joining academia, Heather Dillon worked for the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) as a senior research engineer.Dr. Tammy VanDeGrift, University of Portland Dr. Tammy VanDeGrift is a Professor of