Identifying institutional, community strategies and barriers to advancing inclusive STEM culture

Nahima Ahmed (Science Friday)
Xochitl Garcia-Cohen (Science Friday)
Ariel Zych (Science Friday)
Diana Montano (Science Friday)
This session was offered as part of the 2021 Inclusive SciComm Symposium. For more information, visit inclusivescicomm.org/2021symp...
Abstract: Amplification of voices in media is a key strategy to building an inclusive STEM culture. Breakthrough Portraits of Women in Science is a film series that documents women leading research at the forefront of their fields while highlighting the lived experiences that shape their work. The films can be used as a tool to encourage women to pursue and persist in a STEM career through robust role modeling. The series includes an inclusive action toolkit of research-supported strategies for building inclusive STEM culture in academia. We will provide preliminary findings from a pilot of Breakthrough film screenings and toolkit-supported discussions on campus. A mix-methods survey and qualitative video pilot design (N=33) will assess the effectiveness of the Breakthrough interventions, focusing on whether student and faculty discourse can lead to sustainable change. The video pilot will focus on how the films influence changes in science self-efficacy, identity, interests, and career pursuits. In addition, we will discuss how to create more engaging, inclusive media.