PhD Student Baylee Edwards Receives GPSA Award!

RISE Center PhD student Baylee Edwards just received the Teaching Excellence Award from the Graduate and Professional Student Association for her exceptional teaching contributions to ASU's Embryo Project. According to the GPSA "The Teaching Excellence Award (TEA) is a prestigious honor bestowed upon graduate and professional students who exemplify exceptional teaching prowess across all campuses of Arizona State University.

Every person has characteristics, beliefs, values and affiliations that they identify with. These identities can define and distinguish people from one another while also shaping communities and behaviors, and influencing how people interact with the world around them. There are some identities that people may be reluctant to share — called concealable stigmatized identities, or CSIs.

In an event hosted by the RISE Center on Feb. 19 titled "Disability and Didactics: How we can advocate for students with disabilities in STEM," participants delved into strategies for enhancing support for students with disabilities in STEM fields. The session highlighted the need for updated perceptions and practices surrounding disability, accommodations and inclusion within educational frameworks and beyond. Vincent Truong, a junior studying biochemistry and psychology, was a main speaker at the event and began by defining impairment and disability.

RISE Center researchers and PhD students Jynx Pigart and Olivia Davis, along with a group of 15 Arizona State University students traveled to Denver, Colorado, last week for the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the largest general science conference in the world. The Center for Biology and Society and Barrett, The Honors College co-sponsor ASU students to travel to the AAAS conference each year and compete in the meeting’s poster competition.

Sara Brownell, President’s Professor in the School of Life Sciences and Center for Biology and Society at Arizona State University, has been named an inaugural Charter Professor in recognition of her commitment and contributions that reflect the values of ASU’s charter: inclusion and success, research of public value and assuming responsibility for the well-being of the community. Charter Professor appointments are three-year terms providing discretionary funding to be used to complete the project outlined in the professor’s proposal. 

This past fall, Nancy Gonzales, executive vice president and university provost, created a new honor, the Charter Professor, to specifically recognize exceptional ASU tenure-track and career-track faculty members engaged in projects that advance the values of the ASU Charter. The appointment comes with significant funding for Charter Professors’ projects over a period of three years. RISE Center director Sara Brownell was named Charter Professor this year for her research on inclusive excellence in undergraduate STEM education.

Dr. Sara Brownell is a 2023 Charter Professor. Brownell is a President’s Professor in the School of Life Sciences and director of the Research for Inclusive STEM Education (RISE) Center. Her research focuses on inclusive excellence in undergraduate STEM education, attending to strategies to promote student success across a range of intersectional identities and lived experiences. 

Sara Brownell is ASM 2023 Top-Cited Author!

RISE Director Sara Brownell is an ASM Top-Cited Author in 2023! The paper "New Online Accommodations Are Not Enough: The Mismatch between Student Needs and Supports Given for Students with Disabilities during the COVID-19 Pandemic," co-authored by Logan Gin, Danielle Pais, Kristen Parrish, Sara Brownell, and Katelyn Cooper was recognized in Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education (JMBE)'s top-cited collections and shared with thousands both nationally and internationally.

Arizona State University Assistant Professor Katelyn Cooper discussed her research on the mental health of undergraduate and graduate students in science fields at an event hosted by the Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning Wednesday.

The COVID pandemic's impact on teaching and learning forced instructors to restructure their courses to be more accommodating toward and understanding of their students' situations -- both inside and outside of the classroom. Now that students have returned to classes, many of these instructors have continued to implement some of the lessons learned from teaching during the COVID pandemic into their courses. These new approaches to teaching can have positive effects on the inclusivity and accessibility of university courses. 

As the COVID pandemic drove learning online at institutions of higher learning worldwide, some U.S. professors sought to reflect the new face of undergraduates, more diverse than ever. Demographic changes have led some to rethink the way they teach undergraduate science. Take Sara Brownell of Arizona State University, who received a Faculty Teaching Achievement Award this year. Brownell recalls the 2012 workshop that upended her science instruction. 

The subject of faculty revealing concealable stigmatized identities in science and engineering classes led to Brownell having some questions. Why don't more instructors reveal their concealed identity to students? Are those that do then stigmatized? And how beneficial is this practice?

Research shows that when faculty members choose to disclose hidden, potentially stigmatized identities to their students—such as mental health issues or an LGBTQ+ identity—it can be powerful for undergraduate students looking for representation. But there are gendered differences in who chooses to disclose, according to a study published today in PLOS ONE.

Women working as STEM instructors are more likely than men in the same profession to disclose to their undergraduate students identities which could carry stigma, such as depression or growing up in a low-income household. In the new study, published July 19, 2023 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE, Carly Busch of Arizona State University, USA, and colleagues suggest that these decisions to disclose may be in order to act as role models for students.

Fear of negative evaluation, or FNE, is defined as a sense of dread associated with being negatively judged in a social situation. In a classroom setting, FNE might prevent a student from raising their hand, make them second-guess their knowledge of the subject matter, or cause them to break out in a cold sweat when asked to answer a question in front of the whole class. As part of a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE), ASU Online students engage in real research touching on a variety of issues, including the impact of FNE. 

As someone who studies ways to improve higher education, AAAS Fellow and RISE Center Director Sara Brownell, Ph.D., does a lot of research in classrooms. But one day, she decided to apply her own research to a lecture of hers at Arizona State University. She introduced herself to a room full of 300 students on the first day of an undergraduate biology class by providing a few personal details: “I like to hike, I like Mexican food, and I’m a proud member of the LGBTQ community.” 

Stress, anxiety, depression, and loneliness and a reluctance to share mental health struggles affects many college students, and Sun Devils are no exception. Two doctoral students serving on ASU’s School of Life Sciences E-Board, one of them being RISE Center researcher Olivia Davis, are providing mental health support through peer mental health programs they have initiated.

In a new study published in Life Sciences Education, Arizona State University researchers and RISE Center members Katey Cooper, Tala Araghi and Carly Busch highlight how active learning has the potential to both alleviate and exacerbate depressive symptoms in undergraduates. 

The ASU Research for Inclusive STEM Education Center has launched a group of RISE ambassadors, bringing together undergraduate students determined to make STEM at ASU more inclusive by identifying inequities in education and implementing strategies. The RISE Center founded the group, composed of 13 undergraduate ambassadors, in January 2023. 

In the recent Student Voice survey, students cite teaching style as a major barrier to their academic success. Research points to active learning as a solution, but experts on pedagogy and identity offer some major caveats for professors looking to mix up their instructional approaches. RISE Center Director, Sara Brownell, is featured in this article, highlighting how important it is to consider different identities when using active learning in a classroom.

RISE Center director Sara Brownell won the Founder's Day Teaching Achievement Award, an event that celebrates the innovations and contributions of alumni, faculty members and supporters who reflect the vision, tenacity and hard work of its founders, leaders, faculty, students and alumni through the years. Founders’ Day is a celebration of this founding spirit.

Women throughout history have made significant contributions in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Through their contributions, they have opened doors and paved the way for others to advance the work they’ve started and make contributions and discoveries of their own. During this Women's History Month, RISE Center Assistant Director Kristen Parrish and RISE Center associate faculty Ara Austin were both recently celebrated for their roles in advancing STEM education.

RISE Center Director Sara Brownell is this year’s recipient of the 2023 Faculty Teaching Achievement Award. This award is presented to an ASU faculty member who delivers an educational experience that creates impactful, transformative narratives regarding issues facing the world, and expands the minds of students to help discover innovative solutions.

Each spring, the ASU Alumni Association hosts Founders' Day, Arizona State University's signature event that honors the changemakers who exemplify the pioneering leaders who founded the university's predecessor, the Tempe Normal School. RISE Center Director Sara Brownell was chosen to be this year’s recipient of the 2023 Faculty Teaching Award. 

“We can look out into our classroom and think that everyone is having a perfectly fine day, but it’s absolutely not true.”

Katelyn Cooper said this, and she would know. Cooper leads the Cooper Biology Education Research Lab at Arizona State University. Her team recently conducted a survey of 2,175 undergraduates who were taking online science classes. The results, published in PLOS ONE in June, showed that a staggering 54% of the students reported experiencing symptoms of depression.

Kristen Parrish opened last week's Natural Sciences Inclusion Summit 2022 with words that set the stage for the daylong event. 

“It’s all about connections,” said the associate director of the Research for Inclusive STEM Education (RISE) Center at Arizona State University.

Join Dean Haskollar as she engages a discussion with RISE Center director Dr. Sara Brownell about how to create inclusive academic spaces for the LGBTQ+ populations. To view a full transcript of our podcast, click here.

Faced with financial hardships, multiple demands on their time and uncertain career prospects, some graduate students are losing faith in their chosen career path.

Mental health disorders are becoming increasingly common among undergraduate students, and premedical students may be especially vulnerable to those conditions because of the high levels of competition and stress they experience in their college programs. At least a quarter of premedical students experience mental health conditions that may be relevant to discuss when they are applying for medical school. However, there has been little research on whether revealing those mental health conditions on their medical school applications impacts students’ chances of being accepted.

Newswise — “The truth is rarely pure and never simple,” says Algernon Moncrieff, a lead in Oscar Wilde’s vivacious triumph The Importance of Being Earnest1. Wilde’s play about the power of self-actualization through truth was a literary foil to his own secret life of homosexuality, one that ultimately led to a scandalous downfall. Then constrained by Victorian social norms, we might assume our generation would embrace such a celebrity with open arms. But even 127 years later, LGBTQIA* community members still face being socially stigmatized and marginalized2.

Brianne Arviso could have easily stepped into an entry-level job in the construction industry after graduating from high school.

At that time, the Arviso Construction Company, started by her grandfather, Olsen Arviso Sr., had been in business for more than two decades. Her father, uncles and aunts worked for the company, headquartered near Gallup, New Mexico, on the Navajo Nation.

“I grew up with the company being a big part of my world,” she says.

RISE Center scholar Emma Goodwin is just finishing up her first year as a postdoctoral scholar in Sara Brownell’s Biology Education Research Lab and landed a $300,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to fund the rest of her postdoctoral training. 

Researchers including RISE Center core faculty member, Katelyn Cooper, at Arizona State University have earned 19 National Science Foundation early faculty career awards dating back to June 2021. The new awards total $12 million in funding for ASU researchers in grants that will be used over the next five years.

June is LGTBQ Pride Month — a time to celebrate the contributions that the LGTBQ community has made to society and throughout history. Katelyn Cooper talks about her own experience within the LGBTQ community and shares how she provides support to these students to ensure their success in the field of science.

In this AskPsychSessions feature, PsychSessions' Marianne chats with RISE Center Director Sara Brownell from Arizona State University. They talk about Sara's research on identity disclosure in a Biology class and more generally about creating more inclusive classrooms.

Ariel Anbar, director of the Center for Education Through Exploration at ASU, and Norman Bier, director of CMU’s Open Learning Initiative partner to develop more equitable general chemistry courseware with a grant from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The RISE Center recently had their work examining the impact of a STEM instructor revealing her LGBTQ+ identity featured in the 2022 STEM for All Video Showcase. The 2022 National Science Foundation (NSF) STEM for All Video Showcase is an annual online event. Each year, it hosts between 100-200 three-minute video presentations from federally funded projects that aim to improve STEM (Science, Math, Engineering, and Mathematics) and computer science education. 

RISE Center Core Faculty Member and Assistant Director of Evaluation, Katey Cooper, has been featured in NBC PRIDE 30: The New Generation alongside notable figures such as Lil Nas X, Ariana Debose, and Jojo Siwa for her work in finding ways to make biology education more inclusive and equitable for undergraduate students.

RISE Center member, Nick Wiesenthal, was recognized recently in UCF News for his NSF Graduate Research Fellowships Program (GRFP) accomplishment. Nick attended the University of Central Florida for his undergraduate degree in the biological sciences.

2022 RISE Center Graduates

Eight RISE Center core research members recently graduated this semester. Three are graduate students graduating with either a master of science or Ph.D. and five are undergraduate students receiving their bachelor of science. All of these students have proven to be remarkable members of the center and have continued to push forward research that contributes to the message of the RISE Center. Congrats everyone! Check out our flyer below for more details on each graduate.

The acronym “JEDI” has become a popular term for branding academic committees and labeling STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine) initiatives focused on social justice issues. Through its connections to Star Wars, the name JEDI can inadvertently associate our justice work with stories and stereotypes that are a galaxy far, far away from the values of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. The question we must ask is whether the conversations started by these connections are the ones that we want to have.

In recognition of research accomplishments and plans for graduate work, three Arizona State University School of Life Sciences students have been named 2022 Graduate Research Fellows by the National Science Foundation along with existing winners Carly Busch and Logan Gin.

RISE Center's core faculty member and Assistant Director of Evaluation recently was featured in ASU Online's Newsroom article that touches on ASU faculty creating welcoming spaces for women in STEM.

Arizona State University’s Center for Education Through Exploration (ETX Center), directed by RISE Center affiliate Ariel Anbar, has announced the launch of “Infiniscope” 2.0, the next generation of a NASA-funded online platform, which is transforming learning across K–16 in the earth and space sciences.

RISE Center Core Faculty Member and Assistant Director of Evaluation, Katey Cooper, has won the 2022 American Physiological Society Teaching Section New Investigator Award. This award recognizes an outstanding early career investigator in the scholarship of teaching and learning. Candidates should be investigators who have made meritorious contributions to educational scholarship, the area represented by the Teaching of Physiology Section.

The National Center for Science Education wrote about the RISE Center's work exploring the relationship between evolution and student religious beliefs.

Sara Brownell was recently interviewed and featured in a story about large classroom teaching from the Chronicle of Higher Education.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest general scientific society, has elected RISE Director, Sara Brownell, as a 2021 Fellow for the section on Societal Impacts of Science and Engineering.

RISE Center Director Sara Brownell was interviewed about supporting LGBTQ+ students in higher education and creating LGBTQ+ inclusive learning spaces.

Each year, Arizona State University names faculty from across the university as President’s Professors. This prestigious designation has honored dozens of faculty members since 2006 and continues to do so for faculty who showcase enthusiasm and innovation in teaching, the ability to inspire original and creative work by students, mastery of subject matter, and scholarly contributions. RISE Center Affiliate Sharon Hall was named a President's Professor for 2022.

RISE Center welcomes visiting scholar Jamie Jensen for the month of February

The RISE Center welcomes visiting scholar Jamie Jensen for the month of February. Jamie is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at Brigham Young University. She specializes in the development and assessment of undergraduate biology curricula that employ evidenced-based pedagogical strategies to increase student scientific reasoning skills and deep conceptual understanding.

Logan contributed a piece about the importance of creating accessible STEM courses during the COVID-19 pandemic to the AAAS/NSF report Lessons Learned During COVID-19: Strategies for transforming the future of STEM education. Check it out!

Arizona State University School of Life Sciences PhD alumna Elizabeth Barnes and Professor Sara Brownell have been awarded the 2021 Evolution Education Award from the National Association of Biology Teachers for their work overcoming the stigma that scientific teachings preclude religious beliefs.

Inspired by personal experiences, PhD grad Logan Gin advocates for inclusive science education, especially for students with disabilities.

Four junior researchers with disabilities describe their career experiences to date, and how colleagues can act as allies.

Arizona State University Professor Ariel Anbar has been elected as an American Geophysical Union (AGU) fellow. He joins 59 other individuals in the 2021 Class of Fellows.

As online learning continues to see significant growth at higher education institutions around the country, The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Arizona State University is expanding opportunities that are traditionally offered in person to the digital environment with the launch of the Online Undergraduate Research Scholars (OURS) program. The new program will offer hands-on, experiential learning specifically for students enrolled through ASU Online.

When a 2018 study revealed that Ph.D. students suffer from depression at rates far higher than the general population, it sparked a landslide of concern about graduate student mental health, with some calling it a mental health crisis. The study highlighted a need to understand what aspects of graduate school affect depression, says Katelyn Cooper, an assistant professor at Arizona State University, Tempe, who studies student mental health.

RISE Center research on helping people reconcile religion and evolution was featured in a video produced by the AAAS Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion.

RISE Center member Katey Cooper created a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) with the aim to engage students in real, publishable biology education research. In the span of a single semester, Katey Cooper's students went from an initial research question to a finished research manuscript that was submitted to a peer-reviewed education journal with all 14 students as co-authors exactly three weeks after the end of the term.

Sharon Hall's commitment to teaching and inclusion has been recognized with the 2021 Zebulon Pearce Award for Outstanding Teaching in the Natural Sciences from The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Arizona State University.

RISE Center undergraduate Julie Roberts was featured as a notable graduate by ASU.

In celebration of Women’s History Month, nine female faculty from The College shared challenges they have faced, triumphs they have experienced and what gives them hope about the future of women in academia.

Erika Nadile is a 2nd-year Biology and Society PhD student in Sara Brownell’s Biology Education Research Lab. She has been studying student participation in large-enrollment science courses and specifically, identifying ways in which participation can be inequitable.

Thirteen ASU students, student groups, organizations, staff and faculty have been named 2020 Catalyst Awardees by the Arizona State University Committee for Campus Inclusion for their work fostering and promoting diversity and inclusion at ASU and beyond. 

As women in male-dominated fields, Brownell and Parrish said they have both experienced what it’s like to be a minority but feel their experiences are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to inclusion in higher education.

A new ASU research center was created this year to help forge a more inclusive STEM education for students. The Research For Inclusive STEM Education Center aims to achieve that goal through the undergraduate experience within science, technology, engineering and math.

The center examines inequities within classrooms, research labs and learning environments to create interventions. RISE looks at identities beyond race and gender within STEM education.