Transformational Resistance and Identity Development: A Case Study of an Asexual Woman Engineer
- Conference
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2022 CoNECD (Collaborative Network for Engineering & Computing Diversity)
- Location
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New Orleans, Louisiana
- Publication Date
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February 20, 2022
- Start Date
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February 20, 2022
- End Date
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July 20, 2022
- Conference Session
- Tagged Topics
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Diversity and CoNECD Paper Sessions
- Page Count
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16
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/39148
- Download Count
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291
Paper Authors
Vivian Xian-Wei Chou University of Texas at Austin
Vivian Chou is a first year Master student in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. They are conducting research on how successful communities are established within LGBTQ+ student organizations. Vivian is an advocate for marginalized students and seeks to be a voice for their LGBTQIA+ peers.
Jerry Austin Yang
Stanford University
orcid.org/0000-0001-5521-8523
Jerry A. Yang is a doctoral student and graduate research assistant at Stanford University pursuing a PhD in Electrical Engineering and a MA in Education. He received a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin with a certificate in LGBTQ+/Sexualities Studies. Jerry is currently researching novel two-dimensional materials for conventional and quantum computing applications. In addition, Jerry’s research interests include diversity, equity, and inclusion issues in engineering higher education, the intersections of sociology, feminist, and queer theory and their applications to diversity/equity/inclusion issues in engineering, and mixed-methods study designs for conducting research.
Brandon Bakka University of Texas at Austin
Brandon Bakka is a doctoral candidate at the University of at Austin pursuing a degree in Biomedical Engineering with a certificate in engineering education. He received a BS in Chemical and Biological Engineering from Colorado School of Mines. Brandon is conducting research on the modes of resistance LGBTQIA+ students utilize in response to the climate in STEM departments. He is also running a LGBTQIA+ focus reading group for STEM students to further connect them with their identity, and is passionate about understanding and dismantling the systems in engineering that marginalize students.
Maura J. Borrego University of Texas at Austin
Maura Borrego is Director of the Center for Engineering Education and Professor of Mechanical Engineering and STEM Education at the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Borrego is Senior Associaate Editor for Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering. She previously served as Deputy Editor for Journal of Engineering Education, a Program Director at the National Science Foundation, on the board of the American Society for Engineering Education, and as an associate dean and director of interdisciplinary graduate programs. Her research awards include U.S. Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), a National Science Foundation CAREER award, and two outstanding publication awards from the American Educational Research Association for her journal articles. All of Dr. Borrego’s degrees are in Materials Science and Engineering. Her M.S. and Ph.D. are from Stanford University, and her B.S. is from University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Patricia Clayton Wake Forest University
Patricia Clayton is an Associate Professor in the Department of Engineering at Wake Forest University. They formerly served as an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at Austin in the Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering. Patricia's research interests include diversity, equity, and inclusion in engineering education, alongside structural engineering and natural hazards engineering.
Abstract
DEI programming in recent years has focused significant efforts on fostering inclusion of visible identities, such as race/ethnicity, certain dominant gender identities, and certain dominant forms of sexual orientation. However, there is a lack of understanding of how DEI programs can target people with multiple, possibly invisible, marginalized identities, such as asexuality. Furthermore, while DEI programs tend to provide valuable and necessary support spaces for students from marginalized backgrounds, they may not consider how marginalized students create their own resistance practices. In this paper, we explore the liminal space of invisible identity and its intersections with other identities through a case study of an asexual cis-gender woman undergraduate engineering student through the lens of transformational resistance and identity development. Through her narrative, we see how transformational resistance can occur at any part of the identity development process, though certain identities during these parts may not be salient or significant to the individual. This paper addresses the complexity in creating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) spaces for invisible marginalized identities and offers the experiences of the participant to question the bounds of inclusivity in these spaces.
Chou, V. X., & Yang, J. A., & Bakka, B., & Borrego, M. J., & Clayton, P. (2022, February), Transformational Resistance and Identity Development: A Case Study of an Asexual Woman Engineer Paper presented at 2022 CoNECD (Collaborative Network for Engineering & Computing Diversity) , New Orleans, Louisiana. https://peer.asee.org/39148
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