Inclusive labs: Safe spaces for LGBTQ2S+ STEM students

This article is promoted by ABET.

With a shortage of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) graduates for key professions such as computing and engineering in the United States, as reported by Oxford Economics, diversity and inclusivity in STEM courses and careers have never been more important.

ABET, formerly known as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, has been working on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in STEM fields for many years and is focused on encouraging broader access to students from all communities, including the ‘LGBTQ2S+’ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer and two-spirit identities. Plus, the additional identities not represented in the initialism).

Dr Michael KJ Milligan, CEO of ABET, stresses the vital importance of safe spaces for LGBTQ2S+ students on college campuses, noting: “These spaces foster productivity as they encourage diverse perspectives and problem-solving approaches, crucial for innovation and social impact in STEM fields. ABET is committed to ensuring all students thrive in inclusive environments, fostering academic excellence and progress.”

Here, to mark Pride Month in June, two senior members of ABET who are also leading STEM field academics, share their thoughts and experiences on enhancing inclusion.

Dr Donna Reese

Dr Donna Reese is professor emerita of computer science at Mississippi State University and a member of the Computing Area Delegation and a member of the ABET Board of Delegates.

In STEM subjects, as in all fields, students are looking for a place to belong and to find others that represent their identities. They also want to feel welcomed and valued for what they bring to the profession they have chosen to study.

As a serving member of the Computing Area Delegation and on the ABET Board of Delegates and a former chair of ABET’s Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC) Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Criteria Committee, I am keenly aware of the need to ensure that STEM subjects in general, and particularly my focus area of computer science, offer safe and inclusive learning environments for everyone.

As well as wanting people to feel welcome and supported, there are also solid economic reasons for greater inclusivity. Many studies point to the need for more STEM professionals than we are currently producing in the US.

In my field, for example, analysis published in 2023 by global independent economic advisory firm Oxford Economics suggested that demand for new computer science workers in the US labour market exceeds the supply of new computer science degrees by about 170,000, or 38% of the forecast demand.

Since the computing and engineering fields have been traditionally dominated by cisgender (people who identify as the same gender they were assigned at birth) white males, this can make it hard for LGBTQ2S+ students (as well as female students and students of colour) to find a community within these fields.

ABET is working on initiatives to foster greater positive awareness and understanding of DEI.

For example, within the CAC DEI Criteria Committee, we are proposing to update the accreditation criteria with language clearly stating the requirement to include diversity, equity and inclusion topics consistent with the institution’s mission to ensure all graduates of ABET-accredited computing programmes have been exposed to a variety of DEI topics necessary to successful careers in computing.

These topics could include, for example, implicit bias, stereotype threat (when individuals fear they may confirm negative stereotypes about their social group) and case studies of product failures resulting from lack of diverse, equitable and inclusive development environments.

The CAC is not alone in this – all four ABET commissions (which also include the Applied and Natural Science Accreditation Commission, the Engineering Accreditation Commission and the Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission) are working on similar DEI language additions to their criteria. ABET is also introducing language in the criteria that will require programmes to demonstrate they have a welcoming and respectful environment for all students.

By guaranteeing safe spaces for LGBTQ2S+ and other diverse groups of students, we can address the increasingly pressing issue of in-built bias as technologies like artificial intelligence become more pervasive.

Dr Ece Yaprak

Dr Ece Yaprak is professor and chair of engineering technology at Wayne State University, Michigan, and a member of ABET’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility Advisory (IDEA) Council.

STEM subjects are tough academic disciplines and teamwork, mentoring and support communities are crucial for all students in these areas.

We want to inspire more students from diverse backgrounds to think about studying STEM subjects, and part of that is reassuring them that these courses are safe and inclusive environments for them to excel. The Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission (ETAC) of ABET has included the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion into the general criteria for ABET-accredited courses.

As an example of this in practice, in my capacity as professor of engineering technology at Wayne State University, I try to get my students to think about their own unconscious biases, which may affect their decisions and how inclusive they are of other people and ideas.

One of the ways I do this is by asking my students to engage with Harvard University’s Project Implicit, a collection of free, anonymised online tests for evaluating a person’s unconscious bias.

I ask my students to take two tests of their choice, and to tell me what they have learned from that exercise while keeping the results of the test private.

The vast majority of my students find this exercise extremely enlightening in what they reveal about the disconnect between their unconscious biases and their conscious beliefs.

I also ask my students to evaluate their teamwork project assignments to identify whether any respect or inclusivity issues revealed themselves during the assignment. I am happy to say these surveys reveal very few negative experiences, but this process is a valuable way to make students aware of the need to be inclusive.

Our faculty is also flexible about learning environments to help students feel comfortable. Many STEM subjects require laboratory time and group learning, but we offer students private spaces to work if they need it, as well as more time in exams where appropriate.

We also want students to know that there are fantastic career opportunities for STEM subject graduates. Ideally, we want this enthusiasm for STEM subjects to be instilled early in a student’s educational career – before they even start thinking about college applications.

We want to change the situation that, for many students in under-represented groups who excel at relevant high school subjects such as science and math, STEM subjects – particularly engineering courses – are often not on their radar when they come to thinking about college or careers.

I am encouraged that diverse representation of students from all backgrounds and communities is getting better in STEM university courses and careers, but we have more to do, including letting prospective students know that they are safe and welcome in these fields.

This article is promoted by ABET.