PERC 2025 Abstract Detail Page
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| Abstract Title: | Mapping structural equity with departmental profiles in physics graduate education |
|---|---|
| Abstract Type: | Contributed Poster Presentation |
| Abstract: | Graduate physics education faces structural barriers limiting student access and participation. The [Title Redacted for Review] project supports physics departments in transforming their cultures to better serve diverse students. Our research developed departmental profile templates to gather information from program leaders, focusing on three core categories: admissions, post-entry support, and department-wide equity efforts. Admissions practices include deprioritizing GRE scores, holistic reviews, anti-bias training, fee waivers, and targeted recruitment. Post-entry support involves restructuring qualifying exams, fostering community, improving faculty-student communication, and mentoring. Equity efforts include events, inclusive gatherings, and partnerships with minority-serving institutions. Content analysis of nine programs showed only two demonstrate holistic efforts across all categories. Most invested unevenly, with post-entry support notably underdeveloped. While efforts aligned with identified needs, significant gaps remain. These findings emphasize the need for integrated, sustained equity initiatives in graduate physics education and offer a foundation for further research on institutional change in STEM fields. |
| Session Time: | Poster Session A |
| Poster Number: | A-57 |
| Contributed Paper Record: | Contributed Paper Information |
| Contributed Paper Download: | Download Contributed Paper |
Author/Organizer Information | |
| Primary Contact: |
Audrey Claar School of Physics and Astronomy, Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY 14623 Phone: 5188796935 |
| Co-Author(s) and Co-Presenter(s) |
Austin Kunz (he/him), School of Physics and Astronomy, Rochester Institute of Technology Diana Sachmpazidi (she/her), School of Physics and Astronomy, Rochester Institute of Technology Mike Verostek (he/him), School of Physics and Astronomy, Rochester Institute of Technology Diane Codding (she/her), Department of Physics and Astronomy and Office of Research, Northwestern University Sara Woods (she/her), Department of Physics and Astronomy and Office of Research, Northwestern University Bennett Goldberg (he/him), Department of Physics and Astronomy and Office of Research, Northwestern University Geraldine L. Cochran (she/her), Department of Physics, The Ohio State University |
