亚洲AV

NSF grant supports equity in marine and climate sciences

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The (NSF) awarded 亚洲AV researcher and colleagues a combined $2.3 million to advance collaborations for equity in marine and climate sciences.

chrystal George Mwangi headshot
Chrystal George Mwangi. Photo provided

鈥淢arine and climate sciences (MCS) are some of the least diverse STEM disciplines,鈥 said George Mwangi, who teaches in Mason鈥檚 . 鈥淚mplications from the lack of racial diversity in particular are troubling when considering the importance of MCS in mitigating today鈥檚 environmental sustainability challenges.鈥

The project, titled Advancing Collaborations for Equity in Marine and Climate Sciences, is a collaborative partnership between multiple institutions, which includes of Temple University, of Salem State University, of the Woods Hole Partnership Education Program, and of University of South Carolina.听

As principal investigator, George Mwangi will lead this three-year project to examine what processes are employed for developing equity-driven educational collaborations, infrastructures, and pathways in MCS. This research project will investigate the Woods Hole Collaborative Network, a Massachusetts-based multi-organizational collaboration between six predominantly white institutions.

She said the study will provide听an analysis of processes for developing anti-racist and equity-driven educational collaborations, infrastructures, and pathways into MCS. The overarching goal is to develop a transformative model focused on partnership- and infrastructure-building efforts for anti-racism and equity in the discipline that can be replicated and scaled for other MCS collaborations and interventions.

鈥淲e are focused on听advancing change in structures and sociocultural practices in MCS that can improve their racial equity outcomes,鈥 she said.

This collaborative project is funded through the Racial Equity in STEM Education activities, which supports research and practice projects that investigate how considerations of racial equity factor into the improvement of STEM education and workforce. Awarded projects seek to center the voices, knowledge, and experiences of the individuals, communities, and institutions most impacted by systemic inequities within the STEM enterprise.