Highlights, news, and information in the Florida AGEP Alliance

Highlights, News, and Information

that you don't want to miss!

The Florida AGEP Pathways Alliance (FL-AGEP) is committed to advance a partnership among six universities with the goal of developing, implementing, and studying a model focused on increasing the number of minority women faculty in STEM.

Our alliance consists of three Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), one Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), and one Historically White Institution (HWI).

HBCUs: Florida A&M University, Florida Memorial University, and Bethune Cookman University

HSI: Florida International University

HWI: University of South Florida and Virginia Tech

Celebrating Black Women Pioneers in STEM

We celebrate two monumental months for the Florida AGEP team, February and March. In February, we had the opportunity to pay tribute to historical Black figures from our respective alliance institution communities. In March, we celebrate women pioneers and especially pay homage to women in STEM fields who have laid the foundation for our success and career exploration. The Association for Women in Science has dedicated its mission to educating and advocating for women across the nation like our own research team. This special tribute highlights women who have paved the way, and we encourage others to do the same in their journey through higher education and the STEM professoriate.

Ruth Ella Moore, Ph.D.

Dr. Ruth Ella Moore was known as the first African American woman in the United States who acquired a PhD in natural sciences.

Dijanna Figueroa, Ph.D.

Dr. Dijanna Figueroa is a marine scientist and educator who works extensively to make STEAM education more accessible to all children (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics). In 2005, she was featured in James Cameron’s Aliens of the Deep, a documentary that explores the Mid-Ocean Ridge. She has also appeared on Shark Week and Mysteries of the Deep. Currently, she is the director of the Lucas Scholars STEAM Program and teaches science to middle schoolers at St. Matthew’s Parish School. Also, she was the former global director of the Muse School National Geographic Society’s Green STEAM program.

Shirley Jackson, Ph.D. (above)

Dr. Shirley Jackson is a theoretical physicist. She is a leader in higher education and has served as president for multiple institutions. In 2016, she was awarded the National Medal of Science for her work in physics and science-rooted public policy.

Ruth Lloyd, Ph.D. (left)

Dr. Ruth Lloyd was the first African American woman to acquire her doctorate degree in Anatomy, and an active member of the American Association of Anatomists.

Read more about these pioneers.

All Alliances are Welcome to Attend | Register Here

Promoting Women in the STEM Professoriate

FL AGEP Senior Scholar Mentor Selected for (AAAS) National Academy

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has named 10 University of South Florida researchers as new Fellows, including a College of Education associate professor who will become the university’s first Black faculty member to receive one of the world’s most prestigious honors for academic research. Ruthmae Sears, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor at the University of South Florida for secondary mathematics education, the Associate Director of Coalition for Science Literacy with a focus on Inclusive Excellence, and the lead faculty facilitator for the university’s newly created Inclusive and Equitable Pedagogy program. Her research focuses on curriculum issues, systemic change initiatives in K-20 STEM settings, the development of reasoning and proof skills, clinical experiences in secondary mathematics, and the integration of technology in mathematics.

Dr. Sears has presented nationally and internationally and has published in leading mathematics education journals, such as Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, ZDM: The International Journal on Mathematics Education, MathAMATYC Educator, and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Annual Perspective of Mathematics Education (APME). She also coordinates developmental mathematics courses and USF's undergraduate and master’s degree programs in mathematics education.

Dr. Sears is actively engaged in scholarly activities. She is the principal investigator for the City of St. Petersburg funded grant entitled, "Examination of the historical and modern-day impact of structural racism on the lives of Black people in the City of St. Petersburg, Florida," and the NSF-IUSE funded collaborative grant (#1726362) entitled "Attaining Excellence in Secondary Mathematics Clinical Experiences with a Lens on Equity". Dr. Sears is also a co-principal investigator for the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program and key personnel for the NSF-funded grant (#1525574) Systemic Transformation of Education through Evidence-Based Reforms (STEER).

In addition to her research activities, Dr. Sears is the co-chair of the Network of STEM Education Centers (NSEC) Annual Meeting. She is also the co-chair for the Accelerating Systemic Change Network (ASCN) in STEM Higher Education Working group for Equity and Inclusion, and the University of South Florida Representative for the Bay View Alliance-Diversity Equity and Inclusion Working Group. Additionally, she is the associate editor for the NCTM journal, Mathematics Teacher: Learning and Teaching PreK-12 (MTLT), for the high school grade band, and an AAAS-ARISE Blog editor. Read more here.

Dr. Washington is the inaugural Director of the Atlanta University Center Data Science Initiative. This new initiative seeks to provide data-driven solutions to current and emerging societal problems, especially as it pertains to the African American community. Poised to bring new diverse perspectives to data science, Dr. Washington is a Professor of Mathematics at Clark Atlanta University, and is an affiliate faculty at Morehouse College, Morehouse School of Medicine, and Spelman College. She is the President-Elect of the Association for Women in Mathematics.

Talitha Washington Elected President of the Association for Women in Mathematics

Taking office Feb. 1, 2022, Dr. Talitha Washington continues to support women and girls in mathematics as the President-Elect for the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM). She will become president of the association in 2023 and will serve for two years. Currently, Washington is a Professor of the Mathematical Sciences at Clark Atlanta University and the Director of the Atlanta University Center (AUC) Data Science Initiative.

The AWM is a professional society that encourages women and girls to study and have active careers in the mathematical sciences and promotes equal opportunity and the equal treatment of women and girls in the mathematical sciences. Washington says, “I am honored to follow in the footsteps of past AWM President Cora Sadowsky, who was a faculty member at my former institution, Howard University.” As the first Black to be AWM President-Elect, her path has been guided by the AWM community. One of her goals is to advocate for broad engagement and participation which strengthens the entire mathematical community and our nation.

We are proud to recognize her leadership and commitment to service!

(Reposted from AUC Data Science Initiative)

Women Empowering Girls in STEM

Broad Outreach

Registration for Girls in STEM

FL AGEP Alliance | Partner Engagement Dissemination and Sustainability

The FL-AGEP Alliance team presented at a roundtable session for the 2022 Hawaii International Conference on Education January 3-6th. The roundtable highlights a work-in-progress paper focused on the implementation of the 2021 research bootcamps. Using counterspaces as a conceptual framework, we analyzed focus group data from a larger mixed-methods study to understand its impact on women of color dissertation dissertators, post-doctoral scholars, and early career faculty in STEM.

Presentation Details:

Lane, T.B., Watson, A., Thomas, S., Cooper, A., Kos, L. & Mariella-Walrond, H. (2022). Research-intensive professional development program as a counterspace: A qualitative study of academic women of color in STEM [roundtable]. Roundtable session to be presented at the 2022 Annual Hawaii International Conference for Education. Waikoloa, Hawaii).

Visit the presentation here!

USF co-PI Dr. Sylvia Thomas recently co-authored a publication listed below:

Publication Details: Rosa-Ortiz, S., Phan, K., Khattak, N., Thomas, S., & Takshi, A. (2021). Hydrogen evolution assisted cyclic electroplating for lateral copper growth in wearable electronics. Journal of Electroanalytic Chemistry, 902, 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jelechem.2021.115796

DISSERTATION INSTITUTE

We are pleased to share the 6^th and final Dissertation Institute (DI), an interactive workshop for underrepresented (African American, Native American, Pacific Island, and Hispanic American) graduate students in engineering. The 2022 DI will take place June 11^th – 17^th on the University of Texas, Dallas campus.* The Institute is funded by the National Science Foundation and hosted by the University of Texas, Dallas, and Virginia Tech. The primary goal is to address issues that prolong completion times for those at the dissertation proposal preparation and dissertation completion stages of the targeted population.

The week-long event will focus on skills and strategies needed to successfully complete the dissertation process as well as provide networking opportunities to build connections for future collaborative career advancement. Institute participants will build new writing habits, work on their dissertation or dissertation proposal, and learn skills that will help them continue making progress when they return to their institutions. Participants will be housed in a private room; will share a bathroom with one other participant; receive meals; and be reimbursed for travel costs up to $500. As a part of the application process, participants will be asked to identify barriers that have impeded their progress to completing their dissertation and to provide suggestions for additional topics to be presented.

We seek your assistance in identifying students who might benefit from participating in the Institute. The application deadline is April 1st. Please share the following link with students, faculty and any other colleagues who might assist us in announcing this wonderful opportunity: https://www.dissertationinstitute.com/

If you have questions, please email them to dissertationinstitute@gmail.com.

STEM in the News Across the Alliance

WE ARE CURRENTLY RECRUITING FOR THE FL-AGEP RESEARCH BOOTCAMP PARTICIPANTS!

We are now recruiting for our 2022 Research Bootcamps! We invite you to attend one of three options, Bethune-Cookman University (May 2022), Florida Memorial University (June 2022-Virtual), and Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (July 2022-In Person)!

Faculty Women of Color in the Academy (FWCA) National Conference | April 1-3, 2022, Arlington, VA

We recognize the importance of community for women of color in the academy. Look forward to dynamic keynote speakers, a writing retreat with Inkwell Academic Writing Retreats, dozens of powerful workshops, and many networking opportunities. The conference will be held at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington Friday, April 1- Sunday, April 3, 2022. We hope that you will be able to devote the weekend to self-care, empowerment, and personal and professional development.