February NatSci DEI Newsletter

Welcome to the February 2024 NatSci DEI Newsletter!

In this issue

Upcoming Events and Sponsorships
Cultural Competency Workshops
Student Organization Information
Important Dates
Lifelong learning
Health and well-being
Action List
Recognitions
Contact us

Upcoming Events and Sponsorships

We are elated to share with you the presenters for the 24^th annual Dr. William G. Anderson Lecture Series, Slavery to Freedom: An American Odyssey! This series has long brought incredible speakers to Michigan State University and this year’s participants continue that tradition.

Joining us for this year’s series are Tanisha Ford on February 1, 2024; M.C. Lyte on February 8, 2024; and Rev. Dr. William J. Barber on February 15, 2024.

Tanisha Ford, author of four books relating to civil rights and black culture, speaks on the intersection of politics, economics, and culture. She has received several awards and honors for her work. For example, she was named one of the Root’s 100 Most Influential African Americans. Her research has been supported by many institutions, including, Ford Foundation, New America, and Emerson Collective, to name a few.
Registration: https://bit.ly/STFDrTanishaFordRegistration

M.C. Lyte, an American rapper, DJ, actress, and entrepreneur. She is the first female of hip-hop’s emcees to release a solo album and tease a new podcast. She also opened doors for many to join what is now being celebrated as ’50 Years of Hip Hop.” She recently received the, “I Am Hip Hop” Lifetime Achievement Award from BET and was also honored at the VH1 Hip Hop Honors. She is also the most recognizable pioneer across generations.
Registration: https://bit.ly/STFMCLyteRegistration

Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, president and senior lecturer of Repairers of the Breach, Co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, Bishop of The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries, Pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church, Goldsboro, NC for past 29 years, and Professor in the Practice of Public Theology and Public Policy and Founding Director of the Center for Public Theology and Public policy at Yale Divinity School. He has authored four books regarding morality and social justice.
Registration: https://bit.ly/STFRevDrBarberRegistration

Love Got me Over: Singing to Freedom Live Concert Recording, Don’t miss this night of live band performances, storytelling, and Black history in collaboration with the MSU College of Music and the MSU Gospel Choir, led by Phoenix Miranda, Caleb Robinson and Rashun Watson.
Registration: https://bit.ly/STFMusicEventRegistration

Dr. Rani Whitfield, highly accomplished Board-Certified Family Physician specializing in sports medicine. Identifying community wellness as a freedom movement, Dr. Whitfield’s talk will focus on Black Men’s Health. He is widely recognized for his advocacy work, serving as a national spokesperson for the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. He has earned numerous awards, including the ASA Southeastern Affiliates Service Award, the American Stroke Association Legacy Award and the NAACP Freedom Award.
Registration: https://bit.ly/STFDrRaniWhitfieldRegistration

This year’s series will be hybrid—offering two options for attendance. For those who can join us in person, we are excited to host you on Michigan State University’s campus as we celebrate Black histories and futures. For those who choose to join us virtually, each presentation will also be live-streamed

Join us for an Amplify STEM Zoom webinar:

Indigenous Knowing and Climate Futures

Date: February 9th 2024

Time: 11:30am-12:30pm EST

Presenter: York University's Dr. Deborah McGregor.

Link to register here.

Open to all members of the community.

Dr. Deborah McGregor, Anishinabe, Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair: Indigenous Environmental Justice. Osgoode Hall Law School and Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change, York University. Professor McGregor’s research has focused on Indigenous knowledge systems and their various applications in diverse contexts including environmental and water governance, environmental and climate justice, health and environment and Indigenous legal traditions. Professor McGregor remains actively involved in a variety of Indigenous communities, serving as an advisor and continuing to engage in community-based research and initiatives. Professor McGregor has been at the forefront of Indigenous environmental and climate justice and Indigenous research theory and practice. Her work has been shared through the IEJ project website

Hosted by the College of Natural Science, the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities (RCPD), and STEM+ Education @State

Session 1:

Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution

Documentary screening and discussion with disability specialists

Thursday, Feb. 1^st, STEM 2130

Documentary Screening, 5-7pm

Dinner provided for those who register

Interactive Discussion, 7-8pm

Panelists leading the discussion:
Mike Hudson, Director, RCPD
Tracy Leahy, ADA Coordinator
Ginger Martz, RCPD Specialist
You are welcome to attend the discussion if you have already seen the documentary (available on Netflix)

Session 2:

Disability in Higher Education: Creating Inclusive Spaces for Students with Autism

Brad Cox, Assoc Professor, College of Education, founder of National College Autism Network

Tuesday, March 12, 2024, 10-11am, ZOOM webinar

Session 3:

Learning Narratives from Students with Disabilities in STEM Classrooms

Friday, March 29, 12-1:30pm, STEM 2110 or via ZOOM

Panelists will include undergraduate and graduate students
Lunch included for those attending in-person

QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) is an evidence-based emergency mental health intervention.

QPR Gatekeeper training offered by the Community Mental Health Authority of Clinton, Eaton, and Ingham Counties is a no-cost, one-hour training that teaches participants to recognize the signs of suicide and the steps to getting a person to help.

This training is open to NatSci employees and graduate students

Link to register here.

Amplify STEM is holding a video initiative this year! Help us amplify the voices of STEM professionals from underrepresented backgrounds! Create a 2-5 minute video highlighting an underrepresented STEM professional, professionals can be past or present. Creators of selected videos will also receive a free Amplify STEM t-shirt. Open to students and employees.

Information and submission link site here.

Please consider viewing our 2022 Amplify NatSci Black History Month webinar from Black alumni and students about their experiences in STEM!

Cultural Competency Workshops

Registration is now open for the Spring 2024 semester NatSci Cultural Competency Workshops for MSU NatSci employees and graduate students!

Our workshops are held on:

Wednesday full day (in-person): March 13th, 9am-5pm, ISTB room 1404

April 30th, May 1st, 2nd, 3rd (in-person): 9-11:30am, location TBD

To learn more about the NatSci Cultural Competency Workshop click here.

Student Organization Information

The MSU Graduate Women in Science are seeking presenters and volunteers for the 2024 Girls Math and Science Day held on Saturday, March 9th, 2024 from 1-5pm in the STEM building. The event is an opportunity for middle school students to participate in STEM demonstrations while working with enthusiastic graduate students and researchers.

They are also hosting an undergraduate career panel in late February surrounding life after obtaining your undergraduate degree.

Important Dates

Classes will not be held Tuesday, February 13th. They will resume on Wednesday, February 14th.

Announcement from Interim President Woodruff here.

Some campus support resources are available here.

February 10th marks the beginning of the Lunar New Year, a holiday celebrated in many East Asian countries, including China, Vietnam, Singapore and South Korea. Happy Lunar New Year to those who celebrate!

February 11th is International Day of Women and Girls in Science.

Martin Luther King Jr's 1963 March on Washington

Lifelong Learning

February is Black History Month!

View Through My Lens: Being a Black Woman Pursuing a Degree in STEM

Black Boys’ Lived and Everyday Experiences in STEM (Studies in Educational Ethnography)

101 Black Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics: Leaders in Black History

Black Women in Science: A Black History Book for Kids (Biographies for Kids)

Making Black Girls Count in Math Education: A Black Feminist Vision for Transformative Teaching (Race and Education)

February 2nd marks the 176th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which marked the end of the Mexican-American war and American invasion of Mexico.

You can read more about this treaty here.

Mental health and well-being

Please take care of your health and well-being. Please use the resources below for support.

Action List

"Please be sure to review and reference the academic calendar. Also be mindful of our Religious Observance Policy and encourage your students to proactively engage with you and work with you on appropriate accommodations. This semester, Passover will fall during our final exams period. No student or instructor who observes this holiday should be expected to take or administer a final exam, especially during the first two observed days. Instructors can work directly with their department chair and dean at the beginning of the semester to determine appropriate accommodations. Additionally, updates to the 2025 calendar and future semesters are reflected on the Office of the Registrar website."

-Thomas D. Jeitschko, Interim provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

We have created a document to assist in ordering food. Our Inclusive Dietary Document includes availability of vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free options for many local places around East Lansing. It also includes "do's and don'ts" for ordering food for inclusive groups.

We have created an Inclusive Language Document to assist in replacing harmful language with more inclusive terminology. It provides many words that may be harmful and what you may use to replace them.

Accessibility Awareness Survey

All NatSci faculty and staff are asked to complete this 3 min Accessibility Awareness Survey. The survey results will be used by the Office of Civil Rights and the Digital Accessibility Coordinator at MSU to evaluate the current landscape of accessibility in our college. Thank you in advance for your participation.

Inclusive Pedagogy

Participation in blended courses research project

Do you teach a blended / hybrid undergraduate course at MSU?
Are you interested in transitioning your course to a blended format?
Would like to be part of the study and professional development community related to blended courses?

MSU’s Enhanced Digital Learning Initiative (EDLI) is seeking instructors interested in or already implementing blended undergraduate courses in all disciplines to participate in an NSF-funded study for one or more semesters between Spring 2024 – Fall 2025.

View complete recruitment information here.

Digital Accessibility

Did you know?

Research shows that 71% of students without hearing difficulties use captions when available for videos at least some of the time. Of those students, 75% report using them as a learning tool, and 98% report finding captions helpful (Linder, 2016). Providing captions to meet accessibility standards helps the majority of students, even those that are not hearing impaired.

Schedule a consultation

Need assistance or advice about accessibility in your classroom? Request an accessibility consultation with the Instructional Technology and Development group.

Join MSU IT's Instructional Technology and Development team for the following workshops!

Equity in Evaluation: Building Accessible Quiz Questions

February 21, 11:00 – 12:00. (Virtual)

Join a learning community!

The Equitable Pedagogy: Removing Barriers to Learning community welcomes educators looking to dismantle these barriers. As a community, we will examine and discuss undergraduate student responses to academic challenge and failure. The goal for the community would ae to investigate the impact of the interventions, hopefully providing community members with actionable items to take back to their classrooms. Join the iTeachMSU group for more information.

The Inclusive STEM Teaching Project, a NSF IUSE program, is hosting a six-week, free, open online course from March 4 - April 26, 2024 via edX. Join our community of over 11,000 largely faculty, but also including postdocs, graduate students, and staff, and register for our online course this fall. Our research on over 2,000 completers has demonstrated large growth in:

Advance awareness, self-efficacy, and ability to cultivate inclusive classroom environments;
Support your development as a reflective, inclusive practitioner;
Engage in reflection and discussion around topics of equity and inclusion across a variety of institutional contexts;
Implement inclusive teaching methods in your classes which will remove common barriers and enhance learning in STEM for all students.

In addition, there are nearly 500 trained facilitators running optional learning communities at more than 140 institutions around the country, half of UERU member schools participate. If you are interested in joining a learning community, please express that interest here.

Please share the information widely with your colleagues and networks - we welcome you to use this email as well as our course flyer.

Please let me know if you have any questions, or would like chat more, please reach out: [email protected]

Recognitions

Two MSU scientists have recently been featured in a new DOE (U.S Department of Energy) climate science report! MSU scientists Bruno Basso and Phil Robertson were part of a group of 68 researchers from 13 academic institutions around the United States for this report.

Read the full article here.

An MSU scientist and professor in the College of Natural Science has received a grant! Assistant professor Elizabeth Heath-Heckman has received a five-year, $1.9 million grant National Institutes of Health grant from the National Institute for General Medical Sciences, for her research in squid/newt bacteria, and how it could help humans.

Read the full article here.

We congratulate Lowell Monis for their work in the 2024 Diversity Research Showcase. Their presentation, titled "Intersectionality in the Halls of Power: A Comprehensive Study of Diversity in the United States Congress and State Legislatures" won a preliminary research award in the showcase this year for research in progress!