The start of 2022 represents new beginnings and the opportunity to create a positive start.
As the STEM Funders Network launches its new strategic overview, one of its goals is to create opportunities for reflection, conversations, and/or collaborations broadly among the STEM-focused US philanthropic community that encourage and advocate for more equitable, empathetic, and inclusive STEM funding and engagement strategies. Therefore, the STEM Funders Network will spend the year highlighting and uplifting the collaborative, equitable, empathetic, and inclusive work being done in STEM Philanthropy.
In our respective ecosystems and circles of influence, we all know the power of positive influence in making decisions, developing strategies or creating impactful initiatives. So let’s share out, learn, grow, and evolve together. There’s still much work to do. But let’s take a moment to focus on the positive things that are being done!
The first influencer in the Power of Positive Influence series was LabXchange and the Amgen Foundation’s Racial Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Science Education (RDEISE) project, which was featured in a live webinar hosted by the STEM Funders Network on February 1, 2022.
RDEISE advances racial equity and inclusion in healthcare, education, and STEM fields through free, online teaching resources. It is being developed by leading academics from HBCUs, Harvard, and other institutions, including the event panelists, all members of the project’s faculty steering committee:
Dr. Joseph Graves, Professor of Biological Sciences, Department of Biology, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
Dr. Jamiella Brooks, Associate Director, Center for Teaching and Learning, University of Pennsylvania
Dr. Ivory Toldson, Professor of Counseling Psychology, Department of Human Development and Psychoeducational Studies, Howard University
These high-quality materials will equip high school and college educators to address these topics as part of a standard science curriculum, and challenge the perception that science is independent of social issues. The project focuses on two learning clusters. The first learning cluster, Racism as a Public Health Crisis, will increase public awareness of racial health disparities, and teach the critical thinking skills needed to dismantle the structures that perpetuate these inequities. The second cluster, Inclusive and Antiracist Teaching Strategies, will empower educators with the skills, knowledge, and tools to close opportunity and retention gaps in science education.
This project is a part of a larger initiative, LabXchange, a free online science education platform that provides users with access to personalized instruction, virtual lab experiences, and networking opportunities across the global scientific community. The platform is purpose-built to drive more inclusion in the scientific process, empower students to pursue careers in science, and spark collaboration to build creative, team-based approaches to real-world problems.
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