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

这个项目的主要目标是了解黑人工程学博士生和他们的教师导师(学术合作伙伴)如何发展一种代理感(感知和实施环境中的变化的能力)，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，以减轻工程领域各自学科中的种族不平等现象。这项工作的焦点之一将是探索机构，并调查和发现工程学中的应对和宣传战略。此外，还将讨论在工程学和工程学教育中实施变革和赋权的关键交流战略和政策战略。该项目的一个主要的更广泛的影响将是扩大黑人学生的声音，并在他们继续努力实现工程学和STEM领域的公平代表权方面采取积极行动。该项目将支持研究人员、管理人员和教育工作者帮助有色人种学生扩大他们在工程学劳动力中的参与。这项研究项目将通过以下方式为工程学和STEM教育提供早期的探索性见解：(1)促进对工程学、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了解；(2)对工程教育中的黑人研究生机构如何有助于消除其工程领域内的系统性不平等现象进行循证审查；以及(C)将通过正规课程未明确教授的课程、价值观和习惯置于学生学习的位置，这些课程往往阻止在行政一级发生系统性变化。这项工作分为四个阶段，分布在四年中：(1)反思；(2)行动和反思；(3)影响；(4)行动和应用。这些阶段旨在为学术合作伙伴与工程系的关键学术领袖和利益相关者之间的关键对话创造机会。进程评估将解决有关项目执行和影响的问题。除了学术手稿和演示文稿，还将传播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。该项目由STEM教育中的种族平等计划(EHR Race Equity)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)教育和劳动力发展方面的种族平等的项目。获奖项目集中了受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智力优势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.