CAREER: When Two Worlds Collide: An Intersectional Analysis of Black Women's Role Strain and Adaptation in Computing Sciences

阿拉巴马大学将研究黑人本科女性在计算机科学（CS）方面的学术和职业相关成果。计算领域目前的需求很高，具有良好的劳动力产出和对多样化观点的需求。尽管如此，黑人女性在计算机科学专业道路上的代表性仍然不足。影响黑人女性进入计算机行业轨迹的一些因素是她们的大学经历——尤其是她们面临的挑战或偏见，以及培养韧性的优势和支持。该项目还将制定教育倡议，以促进公众参与这些领域的黑人妇女平等问题。总之，这些活动将有助于促进计算机系统的多样性，并扩大在计算机方面的机会，从而为社会带来整体利益。这个CAREER项目的混合方法研究计划包括一项全国调查，以研究黑人本科女性的挑战、多层次的社会心理风险和多层次的社会心理优势如何结合起来，形成计算机领域关键的学术和职业相关成果。本研究将比较黑人女性与其他重要群体（即黑人男性和白人女性）的结果，因为迫切需要更好地了解他们在种族和性别偏见交叉点的独特经历。此外，定性数据将用于进一步解释黑人女性的种族性别经历，以及它如何影响她们的学术和职业相关成果。为配合这项研究，该项目的教育计划将包括以下措施：1)培育一个计算机科学教育的学者团体，以进一步扩大计算机科学的参与；2)通过制作和传播纪录片，将STEM与艺术（即STEAM）结合起来，提高人们对影响黑人女性CS学术和职业相关成果的挑战和优势的认识；3)创建和传播一个媒体信息课程，以激发关于黑人女性在计算机领域的经历的思考和对话，以及组织转型的战略；4)在社交媒体上为计算机专业的本科黑人女性创建虚拟平台，以发展社区和团结。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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 University of Alabama will examine Black undergraduate women’s academic and career-related outcomes in the computing sciences (CS). Computing fields are currently in high demand with favorable workforce outcomes and a need for diverse perspectives. Nonetheless, Black women remain underrepresented along CS professional pathways. Some factors that influence Black women’s trajectories into computing professions are their college experiences—especially the challenges or biases that they face, as well as the strengths and supports that foster resilience. This project will also develop educational initiatives to promote public engagement in equity issues regarding Black women in these fields. Collectively, these activities will help to promote CS diversity and to expand opportunities in computing for the overall benefits to society.The mixed-methods research plan for this CAREER project includes a national survey to examine how Black undergraduate women’s challenges, multilevel psychosocial risks and multilevel psychosocial strengths combine to shape key academic and career-related outcomes in computing. This study will compare outcomes for Black women to other important groups (i.e., Black men and White women) given the dire need to better understand their unique experiences at the intersection of biases due to their race and gender. Moreover, qualitative data will be used to further explain Black women’s race-gendered experiences and how it impacts their academic and career-related outcomes. As a compliment to the research, the educational plan for this project will include initiatives to: 1) nurture a community of scholars in CS education to further the work of broadening CS participation; 2) combine STEM and the arts (i.e. STEAM) via production and dissemination of a documentary to increase awareness about the challenges and strengths that impact Black women’s CS academic and career-related outcomes; 3) create and disseminate a media-informed curriculum to provoke thought and dialogue about the experiences of Black women in computing, along with strategies for organizational transformation; and 4) create virtual platforms on social media for undergraduate Black women in computing to develop community and solidarity.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.