WEPAN Announces Virtual Visiting Scholars Dedicated to Researching STEM Equity Copy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Ashley Garcia
ARC Network
Marketing and Communications Manager
garcia@equityinstem.org

WEPAN Announces Virtual Visiting Scholars Dedicated to Researching STEM Equity
The Fifth Cohort of Researchers to Fuel Investigations for ARC Network

WASHINGTON DC, August 11, 2023 – The leading champion in North America to propel the inclusion of women in the field of engineering, the Women in Engineering ProActive Network (WEPAN) announces Brooke Coley, PhD and Jessica Gold, PhD as Virtual Visiting Scholars (VVS) for the ADVANCE Resource and Coordination (ARC) Network.

Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) ADVANCE Program, Awards HRD-2121468 and HRD-1740860, the ARC Network seeks to achieve gender equity for faculty in higher education science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. As the STEM equity brain trust, the ARC Network recognizes the achievements made so far while producing new perspectives, methods and interventions with an intersectional, intentional and inclusive lens. WEPAN serves as the backbone organization of the ARC Network.

The VVS program provides a unique opportunity for select scholars across disciplines to pursue research meta-analysis, synthesis, and big data curation on topics crucial to STEM faculty equity. Scholars analyze existing research and data, synthesizing different, sometimes competing, perspectives, frameworks, metrics, and outcomes to offer new insights and applications to the broader community. Past VVS have explored various topics, including funding trends, mentoring, citation practices, and networking.

ARC Network Project Director Virginia Rhodes commented on the scope of the VVS program. “Research is integral to understanding the past and the future of STEM faculty equity. Our scholars immerse themselves in exploring not only what we currently know about STEM equity in academia, but how to push the limits of that knowledge and discover new ways to contribute to the conversation. The program has a strong history of dedicated individuals working to advance gender equity for faculty, and we’re excited to welcome our fifth cohort to join that tradition.”

Dr. Brooke Coley is Founding Executive Director of the Center for Research Advancing Racial Equity, Justice, and Sociotechnical Innovation Centered in Engineering (RARE JUSTICE)—an unprecedented testbed for innovating and modeling antiracist and equitable engineering futures—and Assistant Professor of Engineering, both at Arizona State University. Across several national projects funded primarily by the National Science Foundation, Dr.Coley’s research lies at the intersection of racial equity, mental health and qualitative research methods encompassing critical theory, participatory action research,and arts-based research methods.

Dr. Jessica Gold is a postdoctoral researcher at Northeastern University in the Sociology and Anthropology department. She earned her BA in Sociology from the College of William and Mary and her PhD in Sociology at the University of California, Davis. Dr. Gold’s research focuses on organizational analyses of gender and racial inequality, including university faculty hiring and scientific teams. She is a mixed-methods researcher, using computational text and network analysis, quantitative statistical methods, and qualitative interviews.

To learn more about our past and current scholars and to read their work, visit: equityinstem.org/virtual-visiting-scholars

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About the ARC Network: Funded by the National Science Foundation ADVANCE program, Award HRD-1740860, the ARC Network seeks to achieve gender equity for faculty in higher education science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. As the STEM equity brain trust, the ARC Network recognizes the achievements made so far while producing new perspectives, methods and interventions with an intersectional, intentional and inclusive lens. Learn more about the ARC Network at www.equityinstem.org and on social media using #EquityInSTEM.

About ACCESS+: The Amplifying the Alliance to Catalyze Change for Equity in STEM Success (ACCESS+) Initiative, funded by National Science Foundation (NSF) ADVANCE  Partnership grant #2017953, aspires to leverage STEM professional societies to accelerate systemic STEM culture-change to advance gender diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

About WEPAN: WEPAN is a non-profit educational organization founded in 1990. Recognized as the leading champion in North America for leveraging research and best practices to propel the inclusion of women in the field of engineering, WEPAN advocates to fully embrace diversity, equity and inclusion to meet the demands of today’s innovation and performance-driven business culture. Dedicated to advancing cultures of inclusion and diversity in engineering higher education and workplaces, WEPAN connects people, research, and practice to increase participation, retention and success of women and other under-represented groups in engineering from college to executive leadership. To learn more, visit www.wepan.org.

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