STEM Inclusion Summit

Kenro Kusumi

Senior Vice Provost, Dean and Professor, The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Welcome and ASU is defined by who we include

Kusumi’s research uses the power of genome biology to help conserve and study the functional adaptations of reptiles. Among the reptiles, more than half of the living turtle species are threatened with extinction, and Kusumi has sequenced the genome of the threatened Mojave desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) as a tool for conservation efforts. The anole lizards have been described as the “Darwin’s finches” of reptiles, and Kusumi has led the first genome-scale analysis of accelerated evolution associated with their functional adaptations.

Amalia Pallares 

Vice Provost for Inclusive Excellence, Office of University Provost 

How ASU is striving for inclusive excellence: an update from the Office of Inclusive Excellence

Amalia Pallares serves as the Vice Provost for Inclusive Excellence and is a professor in the School of Transborder Studies. She comes to ASU from the University of Illinois Chicago, where she served as Vice Chancellor of Diversity, Equity and Engagement and professor of political science and Latin American and Latino studies. A scholar of social movements and political identities in Latin America and the U.S., Pallares is the author and editor of several books and other publications. She continues this line of research in the School of Transborder Studies at ASU.
In her role as vice provost, Pallares provides leadership to advance the university’s charter and demonstrate that inclusion and excellence are mutually reinforcing, and necessary, so that individuals from all backgrounds, identities, and perspectives can thrive. Pallares’ work ensures all students, educators and practitioners have broad access to the opportunities, assets, and benefits of ASU, and that all members of the campus community feel they belong and are supported in their success at the university. Her focus upon joining ASU includes ASU’s role as a Hispanic Serving Institution and larger identity as a Minority Serving Institution.

Sara Brownell

Presidents Professor, School of Life Sciences 

Concealable stigmatized identities of instructors

Sara Brownell is a biology education researcher whose research focuses on making undergraduate science learning environments more inclusive. Trained as a PhD neuroscientist, she transitioned to discipline-based education research and is an expert on course-based undergraduate research experiences and making undergraduate science learning experiences, specifically active learning courses and undergraduate research experiences, more inclusive. Her research focuses on students with concealable stigmatized identities such as religious students, LGBTQ+ students, and students with disabilities, as well as the impact on students of instructors revealing these identities in the context of the classroom. Her research in biology education has been internationally recognized and featured in Science Magazine, as well as in numerous news outlets, including the NY Times, CNN, and Scientific American. 

Katelyn Cooper

Assistant Professor, School of Life Sciences 

Depression in Science Faculty: The impact of research, teaching, mentoring, and service on science faculty depression

Katey is an Assistant Professor in the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University.  Trained as a discipline-based education researcher, she uses quantitative and qualitative methodologies to explore research questions related to making undergraduate and graduate biology education more inclusive.  Her work primarily focuses on the relationship between student mental health and cognitive and affective learning.  Her research has been highlighted in Science as well as news outlets such as the New York Times, CNN, and BBC News. In 2022, Cooper received the NSF CAREER award to investigate the relationship between undergraduate/graduate research and depression. She was also listed as one of the 2022 NBC PRIDE 30: The new generation for her efforts to make biology education more inclusive.

Monica Gaughan

Research Faculty, Watts College of Public Service & Community Solutions

ASU Advance: Where it started, how it stands

Gaughan is a professor in the School of Public Affairs. Her teaching passion is preparing the next generation(s) of citizens, and her research program addresses bases of inequality in higher education

Lisa Magana

Associate Dean of Strategic Charter Initiatives, The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

ASU is an HSI, What Does That Mean?

Lisa Magaña is a Political Science Professor in Transborder Studies and the Associate Dean of Strategic Charter Initiatives at Arizona State University (ASU). She has published in the area of immigration and Latino politics and public policy issues. She is the author of the books: Straddling the Border and The Politics of Diversity. She is co-author with César Silva: Empowered!: Latinos Transforming Arizona Politics and co-editor with Erik Lee: Latino Politics and Arizona's Immigration Law SB 1070. She has also published book chapters and journal articles on immigration and Latino Politics and has been interviewed on numerous media outlets. 

Naneh Apkarian

Assistant Professor, School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences

STEM Instructor Belief Profiles re: "DEI" issues and initiatives

Naneh Apkarian is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics Education in the School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences at ASU. Her research focuses on various aspects of undergraduate STEM education, with a particular focus on improving students' experiences in foundational mathematics courses. She takes a holistic view of higher education as a system composed of many interrelated components, and aims to understand students' experiences (cognitive and affective), instructors' motivation, and how those are reflexively related to the broader academic culture.

Chris Mead

Assistant Research Professor, School Of Earth and Space Exploration

Do our online astronomy students belong? Comparing sense of belonging and science identity between in-person and online students

Chris Mead is a discipline-based education researcher. He is currently an Assistant Research Professor in the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University. The primary theme of his research is digital teaching and learning, particularly techniques for bringing active learning into more settings. Specific topics of study include interactive virtual field trips and adaptive learning. His research also touches on questions of diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education and the ways that digital and online education can support or hold back progress on these issues.

Danielle McNamara

Chair and Professor, Department of Physics

Learning Engineering to Enhance Student Success (and the FOLC Fest)

Danielle S. McNamara, Ph.D., is the Executive Director of the Learning Engineering Institute, a Professor in the Department of Psychology, and Director of the Science of Learning and Educational Technology (SoLET) Lab. She is an international expert in the fields of cognitive and learning sciences, comprehension, writing, natural language processing (NLP), intelligent tutoring, and artificial intelligence in education. She and her team have developed several intelligent tutoring systems, including iSTART and Writing Pal, for comprehension and writing instruction and practice. Research on these technologies have explored methods for improving student engagement via game-based practice, enhanced adaptability functions, and assessed the feasibility and usability of these systems in real world settings such as high school classrooms. Dr. McNamara has also led the development and testing of multiple NLP tools that have been used in various contexts and learning environments involving essay writing, reading comprehension, second language learning, and creativity. Such tools allow for quick, efficient, and reliable analyses of large text corpora, which is particularly relevant and valuable when analyzing big data. She is a member of the National Academy of Education, and she is Fellow of APS, AERA, the Cognitive Science Society, and the Society for Text and Discourse. She is the founding Editor of APA Technology, Mind, & Behavior, and served as associate editor for the Cognitive Science Journal, Journal of Educational Psychology, Learning & Instruction, International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education, and is a founding AE of Topics in Cognitive Science.

Table talks and ideas walk

As a way to build community, meet and recruit new collaborators, learn about resources, and brainstorm ideas about inclusion, we will have a Table Talk and Ideas Walk session in person. Some of the featured organization are: Free Mom Hugs, SOLS Grad Mental Health, ASU IT Accessibility, oSTEM, Rainbow Student Coalition, WiSTEM , Faculty Women's Association, Jewish faculty staff association, SOLS, Employment Assistance & Social Engagement (EASE), Committee for Campus Inclusion, LGBTQ+ Faculty and Staff Association