Analyzing Undergraduate Women of Color Experiences’ With the Biology Department
Authors: Marlen Nunez Tamayo, Gian Carlo Baldonado, Mariam Ghanem
Faculty Supervisor: Leticia Marquez-Magana
Department: Biology
According to institutional research, the average biology student at San Francisco State University (SF State) is a woman of color. This is stark difference between national rates from NSF data released in 2013, U.S. scientists in biological/life sciences at all degree levels comprised 36% White, 9% Asian, 5% Latinx, 3% Black and less than 1% Native American women.In order to understand and create an inclusive environment for underrepresented students at SF State, we first developed the smartphone app, MA2. This app allows all students in the College of Engineering & Science (CoSE) Department at SF State to report microaggressions and microaffirmations. To further understand the experiences of women of color, 20 interviews were conducted with undergraduate women of color biology majors as part of an NSF funded study entitled, “Shifting perspectives about why women of color are underrepresented in biology: the role of intersectional identities.” Interviews were transcribed and will be coded using grounded theory. Preliminary findings indicate that women of color feel strongly connected to their identity. As we complete coding analysis we hope to gain further insight on how SF State can better support all biology students.