5th Annual STEM Inclusion Summit
We Are the SEA Change: Building Community in STEM
When?
Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026
Where?
Senita Ballroom, Student Pavilion, Arizona State University
Who should attend?
Faculty, staff, graduate students, undergraduate students who are passionate about advancing inclusion in STEM
Join us for the 5th Annual STEM Inclusion Summit
A day dedicated to connection, collaboration and collective action in STEM and focused on building community in STEM.
This summit brings together researchers, educators, students, support staff, and advocates across all ASU campuses to explore how we advance inclusion in STEM—not as individuals working in isolation, but learning from each other and working together. This year’s theme asks how we can build community across campuses in and outside classrooms.
This is a venue to learn about what is happening across ASU campuses, and to share what you are doing and what you have learned. Education researchers who want to impact practice and policy can report on their findings that have implications for inclusion. Student support specialists and instructors can share their biggest concerns for inclusion based on their interactions with students. Administrators, program directors and students can broaden awareness about existing programs that are having an impact.
We have three formats for presentations: posters, table talks, and lightning talks.
Presenters will submit a title, brief abstract (500 words), and preferred method of presentation. Submission deadline for lighting talks is Oct. 16. Submission deadline for poster presentations and table talks is Oct. 23.
By coming to the summit, you can make an impact. ASU's AAAS SEA CHANGE initiative is working on concrete ways to make ASU more inclusive and we are using this summit to generate ideas.
What to expect
Morning session:
Welcome remarks and introduction to SEA CHANGE. Share, learn, and connect: Lighting talks, poster presentations, and table talks provide three different formats for you to share and learn in a way that works best for you.
Lunch
Afternoon session:
We will split up into optional working groups that will build on the morning session to consider specific challenges and brainstorm solutions that will be reported back to the SEA CHANGE advisory committee. This is optional, but a chance to actually contribute to the dialogue that will influence how ASU works towards inclusion. Working groups will include student listening sessions, opportunities for faculty to discuss best practices in teaching, and learning what resources would help student advising.
Summit Schedule
Morning Session
Morning Session 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
| 9 - 10 a.m. | Welcome, Featured Speakers and Lightning Talks (Part 1) Set the stage for our day together. Learn what ASU is doing to build and support inclusive STEM communities at ASU, about SEA CHANGE and how today's conversation connects to ASU's broader work in inclusion. Remarks from the Office of Inclusive Excellence The importance of small talk in building community Beyond Right Answers: Agency and Education in the Age of AI Remarks on ASU's charter and emphasis on inclusion 50 Years of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Promoting Inclusivity The SEA Change initiative at ASU: The path from bronze to silver |
| 10 - 11:30 a.m. | Poster Sessions and Table Talks Two simultaneous formats to choose from. Explore research, initiatives, and programs on display and engage with presenters. Or join deep-dive conversations with attendees at your table.
|
| 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. | Lightning Talks (Part 2) Share what you're doing and learn from peers. Lightning talks offer quick insights from researchers, educators, administrators, and students on research findings, programs, and initiatives. Transforming STEM Education: Partnerships, Research, and Experiential Learning Physics Sundial program Minds Fellowship Program: Undergraduate Research, Mentoring, and STEM Pathways Highlighting the Design and Impact of the First Online Research Course for Astronomy Majors Belonging on the Boundary: Boundary Learning Mechanisms and Peer Mentoring in Graduate Mathematics Education |
Afternoon Session
Afternoon Session 12:30 – 3:30 p.m.
| 12:30 - 1:45 p.m. | Networking Lunch Connect with researchers, educators, administrators, and students over lunch. Continue conversations from the morning or start new ones. |
| 1:45 - 3:30 p.m. | Working Groups Move from conversation to action. Working groups identify specific challenges, brainstorm evidence-based solutions drawing from peer institutions and collective expertise, and refine recommendations over the following week. Your input will be reported back to the SEA CHANGE advisory committee—this is your chance to contribute to the dialogue that will influence how ASU works towards their Silver designation for SEA Change. |
Working Group Details
| Working groups | Lead | Confirmed participants |
|---|---|---|
| How we can build community and relationships in online STEM courses? | Kristen Parrish (Fulton School of Engineering) | Ara Austin (The College, OURS program), Kate MacCord (School of Life Sciences career track faculty), Molly Simon (School of Space and Earth Exploration tenure-track faculty), Jordan Griffin (School of Life Sciences advising).
|
| How we can build community and relationships between undergraduates and faculty in-person? | Anna Tanguma-Gallegos (Center for Broadening Participation in STEM) | Paul LePore (The College), Jessica Verpeut (Psychology, tenure-track faculty), Krista Puruhito (SAILS and The Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics), Silvie Huijben (School of Life Sciences, tenure-track faculty). |
| How can a giant university across multiple campuses and with some faculty and students only online feel like a community? | Susie Sandrin (New College School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences) | Kelly Knudsen (The College), Jon Harrison (School of Life Sciences tenure-track instructor and research mentor), Lydia HaRim Ahn (School of Counseling and Counseling Psychology tenure-track faculty), Tasneem Mohammed (School of Life Sciences PhD student), Representative from ASU Advance project on the experiences of women faculty. |
| How we promote community and inclusion while maintaining academic integrity in the era of generative AI? | Karin Ellison (School of Life Sciences) | Michael Britton (School of Life sciences career track faculty), Daniel Affsprung (School of Life Sciences graduate student), Sameena Hossain (Fulton Teacher's College postdoc), Jessica Solyom, American Indian Studies. |
Supported by
Questions?
For more information about participation, partnership opportunities or accessibility needs, contact the Office of Inclusive Excellence, [email protected].