Description:

The Chemical and Biological Engineering Department is pleased to present the annual ARDEI Lecture with speaker Christine Reyna from DePaul University.

Dr. Christine Reyna will present a seminar titled "Restructuring the STEM Pipeline: Dismantling Stereotypes and Microaggressions in STEM to Build Networks of Belonging and Support." 

ABSTRACT: STEM training is the best pathway for career success in the U.S.A.. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024), the fastest growing and most lucrative careers are all in STEM. However, Black and Latine Americans are disproportionately excluded from many of these opportunities and remain underrepresented in STEM fields. This disparity starts in grade school when natural curiosity about science fades in the face of barriers to learning and belonging. This presentation will examine how science beliefs, coupled with racial and gender stereotypes and microaggressions in STEM settings, can communicate subtle messages about attributions and belonging for students of color. These messages can widen the gap between personal and science identity to make thriving in STEM environments challenging and even hostile for students of color. Finally, structural supports, policies, and best practices will be presented to enable educators to create inclusive STEM experiences and environments focused on empowerment, belonging, and retention.

Christine Reyna received her Ph.D. in Social Psychology from UCLA. She is currently a Professor of Psychology at DePaul University in Chicago where she has a joint faculty appointment in both the Psychological Science and Community Psychology PhD Programs. She is the founder of the Social and Intergroup Perceptions (SIP) Lab, a group of diverse scholars interested in the psychology of identity, status, prejudice, intergroup conflict, and oppression. Her research examines how individuals and groups leverage group identity, stereotypes, values, and moral framing to legitimize discrimination, systems of oppression, and ideological extremism. As a Latina scholar, she is also committed to including the voices and experiences of marginalized populations in her research and theorizing, and takes a multicultural, multidisciplinary approach to her research. In her private life, she loves adventure sports, wandering the wilderness, Halloween, and Harry Potter. She is married with two children and never passes up an opportunity to indulge her own inner child. 

Bagels and coffee will be provided at 9:30am, and the seminar will start at 9:40am. Please plan to arrive on time to grab a bagel and mingle!

*Please note that there will be no Zoom option for seminars this year.