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Many of my students don’t know what scientists, mathematicians and engineers look like, or realize there are people with these occupations who look like them and share their racial background. To combat this, every year I assign a project called Identities in STEM. The assignment begins with creating identity wheels which depict their most salient adjectives and identities in different sections. As an example, I show them my identity wheel with adjectives like Black, female, mathematician, yogi, traveler, teacher, and tech enthusiast. While my students create their identity wheels, I explain the power of representation and the lack of representation of minorities in STEM fields. We then watch and review the movie Hidden Figures. The film depicts four Black, female mathematicians who were part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration team that played a monumental role in the United States success in the Space Race by landing the first man on the moon. The movie depicts racism, segregation, persistence, and Black excellence. After watching these women fight just to show their skills in the mathematics discipline, my students understand why I am so passionate about mathematics and their success as students of color. Finally, after we reflect on the movie, the students conduct a research project on people in STEM who share aspects of their own identities. This powerful experience requires my students to visualize their identity in the STEM discipline. By doing this project, I influence conversations and interests in STEM which are vital to increasing the number of minorities in the discipline.

About my class

Many of my students don’t know what scientists, mathematicians and engineers look like, or realize there are people with these occupations who look like them and share their racial background. To combat this, every year I assign a project called Identities in STEM. The assignment begins with creating identity wheels which depict their most salient adjectives and identities in different sections. As an example, I show them my identity wheel with adjectives like Black, female, mathematician, yogi, traveler, teacher, and tech enthusiast. While my students create their identity wheels, I explain the power of representation and the lack of representation of minorities in STEM fields. We then watch and review the movie Hidden Figures. The film depicts four Black, female mathematicians who were part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration team that played a monumental role in the United States success in the Space Race by landing the first man on the moon. The movie depicts racism, segregation, persistence, and Black excellence. After watching these women fight just to show their skills in the mathematics discipline, my students understand why I am so passionate about mathematics and their success as students of color. Finally, after we reflect on the movie, the students conduct a research project on people in STEM who share aspects of their own identities. This powerful experience requires my students to visualize their identity in the STEM discipline. By doing this project, I influence conversations and interests in STEM which are vital to increasing the number of minorities in the discipline.

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