SCIENCE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
Seeds for this work were planted in 2010 when consultant Dr. Barbara Ransby held a symposium about integrating social justice into the sciences. Dr. Regina Stevens-Truss, a K College chemistry professor, was so moved that she applied to be an ACSJL faculty fellow to develop this area for the College. One of the presenters from the symposium, Dr. Jonathan Beckwith of Harvard University, was also moved. The ACSJL began a formal relationship with Dr. Beckwith and the Division of Medical Sciences at Harvard University.
That collaboration led to the Science and Social Justice Page of the Praxis Center, support for student research for three students from Harvard University and K College, and a $50,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to hold a Science and Social Justice Think Tank in 2016.
The Think Tank was a huge success. Please see the Think Tank Concept and list of participants below. Among participants were luminaries and national leaders in various fields of science, science education, and the arts. In addition to Dr. Beckwith were Dr. Sandra McGuire, educator; Harriet Washington, author; and David Asai from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
The Think Tank increased the number of STEM faculty at K College interested in social justice. Through the leadership of Dr. Stevens-Truss and others in the STEM fields, Kalamazoo College was invited to apply for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Inclusive Excellence Award, which it received. One million dollars is given for a five-year initiative to “engage in professional development for all faculty and staff to build cultural competencies and understanding of systemic racism; and a revision of hiring, tenure, and promotion policies to reward cultural competency and inclusive practices.” There is no doubt that the work led by the ACSJL in this area made our STEM divisions a great candidate for this grant, which is now leading the transformation of the entire college.
BANNER IMAGE: TRINLEY DORJE
Science and Social Justice
Think Tank, Spring 2016
What People Said About This Event
“A better understanding of all the issues involved in science and social justice; making connections with like-minded individuals; Networking and connections; Amazing partnerships and new connections that were built!; New contacts; meeting many folks with whom I was previously unfamiliar; Many interesting ideas to follow up on! Good conversations. Good people.; The sense of enthusiasm for this project in the attendees; Increased energy and community about efforts are often done in isolation.; I began to think more about ways in which I could incorporate social justice issues into my classes.; I would be happy to contact the American Society for Microbiology and writing a review of the Think Tank for them.”
Through the ACSJL and in collaboration with many units on campus, Latinx STEM students brought Patricia Valoy to campus, who went on to become the science and social justice editor of Praxis Center.
“I am a chemist and an activist – a chemactivist…
and 10-years ago I would not have described myself as such. My understanding of what it means to teach science in a socially just way was formed by my work with the ACSJL starting in 2010. With the Science and Social Justice project I learned to trust my instincts and to question every aspect of what I do and teach in my science classrooms.”
— Regina Stevens-Truss, Professor of Chemistry, Kalamazoo College
Dr. Binney Girdler created a new Biology course, Science and Social Justice, during her Faculty Fellowship.
“When ACSJL was just getting started, I didn't know how much it would impact my teaching and my scholarship. As a scientist I didn't quite see where it fit in, it was just a strange building on the hill. My engagement started with attending events, like the Science and Social Justice conference and the first With/Out - ¿Borders? conference. I began to notice my students' engagement with the Center and that drew me in even more. The space itself became a welcoming refuge on our campus, a place to test my social justice proto-feathers. I got more involved with the second With/Out - ¿Borders? conference and after that, I realized how much social justice work and leadership work wove their way throughout every aspect of my growth as a teacher, a scholar, and a member of our community. Although I can say I am just barely fledged, my Arcus Faculty Fellowship gave me the freedom and courage and the push to really examine my pedagogy and my position within my classroom, the College, and our community. “
Science Majors are Talking
“Through this process I learned a lot about what kind of teaching is being done throughout the United States. That in order to be able to succeed in any field it would be better to know not only things that pertain to that field, but also how that field affects others. Basically that understanding the interaction between fields is going to propel us forward faster and more efficiently. What shocked me is that this kind of teaching is a novice; things in upper education are still too black and white. This could be seen through how hard it was to find teachers who were actually doing this kind of teaching to show interaction or application of the current field to another. This information is useful in trying to figure out a way to make this kind of teaching more of a normal thing. Teachers (especially in the sciences) will briefly mention how their class relates to the rest, but it is never explicitly shown or followed up on. So this information is helpful in creating a way so that teachers can integrate this kind of information throughout their courses. I learned that I am more passionate about injustices in medical research, and how difficult the red tape in place by the government makes it to get help out to other countries. I think we should get this information out, get teachers interested so that they can consider this kind of teaching.”
— Geneci Marroquin, K’14
“Through the Science and Social Justice Research Project, I learned a lot about the intersection of science and social justice in society. My research covered the Midwest, and brought to my attention that there is an abundance of knowledge and projects about the intersection of science and social justice at the high school level. However this intersection is rarely addressed at the college and university level. There has been a recent thrust to the effect of increasing thought on and involvement in science and social justice in small liberal arts colleges, but this direction has not yet spread throughout the Midwest science community. The information myself and my colleagues have collected details the presence of courses and programs that investigate the intersection of science and social justice. This information can be used to inform the way forward, such that the scientific community throughout the US can begin to examine how we can be more socially just. I think this information would be particularly useful to engender discussion, whether in the classroom or at a symposium, about what can be done to increase the involvement of the scientific community in social justice.”
— Chelsea Wallace, K’14