Readings and Items of Interest

Below we highlight published items of interest to current/future postdocs and other PhD professionals. We are especially interested in drawing attention to policy issues, minority postdocs, and national/regional postdoc diversity affinity groups. For busy PhD professionals, we will scan the diversity literature and news outlets.

Frontiers in Psychology, 25 April 2022

"Over the past 50 years the diversity of higher education faculty in the mathematical, physical, computer, and engineering sciences (MPCES) has advanced very little at 4-year universities in the United States."

Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education 13(2):221-241

The authors find that community recognition mediates the negative relationship between perceived discrimination and postdoctoral scholars’ science identities.

Yale School of Medicine, March 2022

"Women of color are actively building and running organizations that serve as a safe haven for members of their community at Yale School of Medicine (YSM) and elsewhere. And while they appreciate the recognition and praise they receive for providing outlets to community members who are dealing with the added stress of being underrepresented, including racism and microaggressions, they also have a message: they are tired."

Yale Daily News, September 2021

"The Yale Black Postdoctoral Association within the School of Medicine, just the third official group of its kind to be formed in the nation, is nearing its one-year anniversary."

Inside Higher Ed, March 2021

The biggest perceived barriers to successful online education survey respondents reported were concerns about academic integrity and a lack of student motivation to engage with online coursework...Survey respondents reported one widespread and discipline-specific concern about delivering STEM education online: how to translate in-person, hands-on laboratory experiments into meaningful remote experiences.

Science, March 2021

The agency plans “new ways to support diversity, equity, and inclusion,” and will also correct policies within the agency “that may harm our workforce and our science”...The response to NIH’s announcements has been mixed.

Educational Studies, January 2020

In this study, 26 sub-themes emerged including feelings about the culture of their work environment and perceptions of stereotypes and biases.

Penn Today, November 2019

Informal support groups give underrepresented minority postdocs, graduate students, and undergraduates the opportunity to network, teach, and learn.

Life Sciences Education, 2017

This study examines the factors that promote the transition of postdocs into academic careers and increase diversity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Diverse Education, November 2014

[the program] has become one of the most recognized and competitive postdoctoral programs in the country, with about 700 applicants vying each year for four to five coveted spots

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