Bio: Dr. Dina Verdín is trained in the fields of Engineering Education and Industrial Engineering. She is a Mexican-American, Southern California native who was the first in her family to attend college (i.e., first-generation college student). Her research focused on access and persistence of Latinx and first-generation college students studying engineering comes from experiencing a lack of access to engineering identity shaping opportunities, experiencing the male-dominated culture of engineering, and struggle towards persisting in the field.

Research: My research objective is to broaden participation in engineering by focusing on issues pertaining to access and persistence for students’ who are minoritized in engineering based on their race/ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status (i.e., first-generation college students and/or low-income), and those who live at the intersection of multiple identities. Systemic barriers disenfranchise minoritized students throughout their educational pathway. The aim of my research is to understand and dismantle the barriers that hinder access and persistence in engineering.