Diverse Stories in STEM

Who are we?  

Diverse Stories in STEM is an interdisciplinary speaker series developed by three Cal Poly Pomona professors who aim to change the classroom environment to reflect anti-racist teaching and learning by increasing representation of scholars of color in our classes, and extending students access to diverse ways of knowing.  While many of our speakers are leaders from the academic sphere, we have a broad definition of “scholar” that extends beyond the Western academic definition, to include keepers of knowledge from a range of backgrounds. Racism hampers learning and inclusivity within higher education, with implications for retention and success for students of color. At Cal Poly Pomona, most of our students are people of color, yet the majority of our instructors are white. This project enables us to address this imbalance by inviting science experts who are also people of color to speak in our classrooms. Everyone has a story, and we want to put a spotlight on scholars of color to inspire our students!  We are scientists and believe in evidence-based interventions, therefore we are researching how our students' scientific identity and sense of belonging are impacted by the seminar series.

Our first seminar, “Harnessing Interdisciplinarity to Improve Human-Carnivore Interactions” features Dr Christine Wilkinson of UC Berkeley, who is young, Black, and a thought leader in carnivore ecology and human-wildlife conflict. 

Our second seminar, "Navigating the Hive: How Lessons in Pollinator Ecology Reflect an Academic Journey" features Dr Adrian Fisher II of Arizona State University, whose groundbreaking research is helping to reform pesticide regulations to protect pollinators.

How can you help? 

We want to extend Diverse Stories in STEM to next year and beyond.  While we work on getting ongoing funding, we need help to cover the costs of:  

• Speaker honoraria - paying speakers for their time is essential for inclusivity 
• Speaker travel expenses 
• Catering for student lunch with the speakers.  This gives students the opportunity to engage with our speakers informally in an inclusive, low-stakes environment.  
• Pay for student workers to keep Diverse Stories in STEM running. Our artwork is made by, and our funding campaign is promoted by Cal Poly Pomona students. We also hope to engage another Cal Poly student to prepare our program website.