Critical Conversations: Systemic and Agentic Empowerment of Black Ph.D. Students and their Faculty Advisors in Engineering

该项目的主要目标是了解黑人工程博士生及其导师（学术合作伙伴）如何发展代理感（感知和制定环境变化的能力）以及他们的代理如何随着时间的推移而变化，以形成专业身份。在这个项目中，学术合作伙伴将帮助完善和共同开发材料，程序和政策，以减轻各自学科的工程种族不平等。这项工作的重点之一将是探索机构，调查和发现工程应对和宣传策略。此外，还将讨论在工程和工程教育中实施变革和赋权的关键沟通战略和政策战略。该项目的主要更广泛的影响将是扩大黑人学生的声音和代理行动，以实现工程和STEM领域的公平代表性。该项目将支持研究人员，管理人员和教育工作者的努力，以帮助有色人种的学生扩大他们在工程劳动力的参与。 该研究项目将通过以下方式为工程和STEM教育提供早期和探索性的见解：（1）有助于对工程，STEM和高等教育中的结构和文化支持以及系统性障碍的实证理解;（2）进行取证-黑人研究生机构在工程教育中的方式进行了基于检查，有助于消除企业内部的系统性不平等，他们的工程领域;和（c）定位的经验教训，价值观，和习惯的学生学习，没有明确通过正式的课程，往往阻止系统的变化发生在行政层面。 这项工作分为四个阶段，分布在四年：（1）反思;（2）行动和反思;（3）影响;和（4）行动和应用。这些阶段旨在为学术合作伙伴与工程部门的主要学术领导人和利益相关者之间的关键对话创造机会。过程评价将解决有关项目执行和影响的问题。沿着学术手稿和演讲，面向公众的文章和主流媒体的专栏文章，专业发展文件和课程将被传播。该项目由STEM教育计划中的种族平等（EHR种族平等）资助。该计划支持通过研究和实践促进科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）教育和劳动力发展的种族平等项目。获奖项目集中在STEM领域系统性种族主义造成的不平等影响最大的个人，社区和机构的声音，知识和经验。该计划符合NSF的核心价值，即支持来自全国不同人口群体、地区和组织类型的杰出研究人员和创新思想家。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The main goal of this project is to understand how Black engineering doctoral students and their faculty advisors (academic partners) develop a sense of agency (the ability to perceive and enact change within one’s environment) and how their agency changes over time to form a professional identity. In this project, academic partners will help refine and co-develop materials, procedures, and policies to mitigate racial inequities in their respective disciplines in engineering. One of the focal points of this work will be to explore agency and to investigate and uncover coping and advocacy strategies in engineering. Additionally critical communication strategies and policy strategies for instituting change and empowerment within engineering and engineering education will also be addressed. A primary broader impact of this project will be the amplification of Black student voices and agentic actions in their continuing work to achieve equitable representation in engineering and STEM fields. The project will support efforts by researchers, administrators, and educators to help students of color broaden their participation in the engineering workforce. This research project will provide early stage and exploratory insights into engineering and STEM education by: (1) contributing to an empirical understanding of structural and cultural supports and systemic barriers in engineering, STEM, and higher education; (2) conducting an evidence-based examination of the ways Black graduate student agency in engineering education contributes to the dismantling of systemic inequities within the enterprise of their fields of engineering; and (c) situating the lessons, values, and habits students learn that are not explicitly taught through the formal curriculum that oftentimes deters systemic changes from occurring at the administrative level. This work is split into four phases distributed throughout 4 years: (1) Reflection; (2) Action and Reflection; (3) Impact; and (4) Action and Application. These phases are intended to create opportunities for critical conversations to happen between the academic partners and key academic leaders and stakeholders in engineering departments. Process evaluation will address questions regarding project implementation and impact. Along with scholarly manuscripts and presentations, public facing articles and op-eds for mainstream press, professional development documents and curriculum will be disseminated.This project is funded by the Racial Equity in STEM Education program (EHR Racial Equity). The program supports projects that promote racial equity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and workforce development through research and practice. Awarded projects center the voices, knowledge, and experiences of the individuals, communities, and institutions most impacted by the inequities caused by systemic racism in STEM fields. This program aligns with NSF’s core value of supporting outstanding researchers and innovative thinkers from across the Nation's diversity of demographic groups, regions, and types of organizations.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.