ReclaimingSTEM: A healing-centered counterspace model for inclusive science communication and policy training

Valdez-Ward, Evelyn; Ulrich, Robert N.; Bennett, Nic; Cat, Linh Anh; Marcus, Tamara; Menezes, Sunshine; Mattheis, Allison H.; Treseder, Kathleen K.

doi:10.3389/fcomm.2023.1026383

Title: ReclaimingSTEM: A healing-centered counterspace model for inclusive science communication and policy training

Journal Article · 15 March 2023 · Frontiers in Communication

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2023.1026383 · OSTI ID:1961742

Valdez-Ward, Evelyn ^[1]; Ulrich, Robert N. ^[2]; Bennett, Nic ^[3]; Cat, Linh Anh ^[4]; Marcus, Tamara ^[5]; Menezes, Sunshine ^[1]; Mattheis, Allison H. ^[6]; Treseder, Kathleen K. ^[4]

Univ. of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI (United States)
Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)
Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States)
Univ. of California, Irvine, CA (United States)
Univ. of New Hampshire, Durham, NH (United States)
California State University Los Angeles, CA (United States)

The dominant U.S. cultural norms shape science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), and in turn, these norms shape science communication, further perpetuating oppressive systems. Despite being a core scientific skill, science communication research and practice lack inclusive training spaces that center marginalized identities. We address this need with a healing-centered counterspace grounded in the key principles of inclusive science communication: ReclaimingSTEM. ReclaimingSTEM is a science communication and science policy training space that centers the experiences, needs, and wants of people from marginalized communities. ReclaimingSTEM problematizes and expands the definitions of “what counts” as science communication. We organize ReclaimingSTEM with intentionality, emphasizing inclusion at every part of the process. Since initiating in 2018, five ReclaimingSTEM workshops have been held in multiple locations, both in-person and virtually, reaching more than 700 participants from all over the globe. In this paper, we share our model for ReclaimingSTEM, reflections of workshop participants and speakers, barriers faced during organizing, and recommendations for creating truly inclusive practices in science communication spaces.

View Journal Article

Cite

Export

Save

Research Organization:: Univ. of California, Irvine, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER); National Science Foundation (NSF); USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0020382; DEB 1912525; DGE-1650604

OSTI ID:: 1961742

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 2263437

Journal Information:: Frontiers in Communication, Vol. 8; ISSN 2297-900X

Publisher:: Frontiers Media S.A.Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

References (63)

Making geoscience fieldwork inclusive and accessible for students with disabilities Stokes, Alison; Feig, Anthony D.; Atchison, Christopher L. Geosphere, Vol. 15, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1130/GES02006.1	journal	November 2019
Equity in informal science education: developing an access and equity framework for science museums and science centres Dawson, Emily Studies in Science Education, Vol. 50, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1080/03057267.2014.957558	journal	July 2014
Connecting counterspaces and community cultural wealth in a professional development program Margherio, Cara; Horner-Devine, M. Claire; Mizumori, Sheri J. Y. Race Ethnicity and Education https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2020.1798378	journal	July 2020
A Theory of Racialized Organizations Ray, Victor American Sociological Review, Vol. 84, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1177/0003122418822335	journal	January 2019
Safe Space: Student Perspectives on Classroom Environment Holley, Lynn C.; Steiner, Sue Journal of Social Work Education, Vol. 41, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.5175/JSWE.2005.200300343	journal	January 2005
Being Black in a White World: Understanding Racism in British Universities Sian, Katy Papeles del CEIC, Vol. 2017, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1387/pceic.17625	journal	September 2017
Science Communication in Multiple Languages Is Critical to Its Effectiveness Márquez, Melissa C.; Porras, Ana Maria Frontiers in Communication, Vol. 5 https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2020.00031	journal	May 2020
Increasing Diversity in the Geosciences: Recruitment Programs and Student Self-Efficacy Baber, Lorenzo D.; Pifer, Meghan J.; Colbeck, Carol Journal of Geoscience Education, Vol. 58, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.5408/1.3544292	journal	January 2010
Examining intersectionality and inclusivity in geosciences education research: A synthesis of the literature 2008–2018 Mattheis, Allison; Murphy, Megan; Marin-Spiotta, Erika Journal of Geoscience Education, Vol. 67, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1080/10899995.2019.1656522	journal	September 2019
Enhancing Diversity In The Geosciences Wechsler, Suzanne P.; Whitney, David J.; Ambos, Elizabeth L. Journal of Geography, Vol. 104, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1080/00221340508978630	journal	July 2005
Science communication training: what are we trying to teach? Baram-Tsabari, Ayelet; Lewenstein, Bruce V. International Journal of Science Education, Part B, Vol. 7, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1080/21548455.2017.1303756	journal	April 2017
Linking Scholarship and Practice: Narrative and Identity in Science Neeley, Liz; Barker, Erin; Bayer, Skylar R. Frontiers in Communication, Vol. 5 https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2020.00035	journal	June 2020
Two-way communication between scientists and the public: a view from science communication trainers in North America Yuan, Shupei; Oshita, Tsuyoshi; AbiGhannam, Niveen International Journal of Science Education, Part B, Vol. 7, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1080/21548455.2017.1350789	journal	July 2017
Intersectionality's Definitional Dilemmas Collins, Patricia Hill Annual Review of Sociology, Vol. 41, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-soc-073014-112142	journal	August 2015
Engaging migrant and refugee communities in non-formal science learning spaces Brown, Autumn; Roche, Joseph; Hurley, Mairéad Journal of Science Communication, Vol. 19, Issue 04 https://doi.org/10.22323/2.19040601	journal	July 2020
College Graduation to Employment in STEM Careers: The Experience of New Graduates at the Intersection of Underrepresented Racial/Ethnic Minority Status and Disability Hawley, Carolyn E.; McMahon, Brian T.; Cardoso, Elizabeth D. Rehabilitation Research, Policy, and Education, Vol. 28, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1891/2168-6653.28.3.183	journal	January 2014
The lure of rationality: Why does the deficit model persist in science communication? Simis, Molly J.; Madden, Haley; Cacciatore, Michael A. Public Understanding of Science, Vol. 25, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1177/0963662516629749	journal	April 2016
Scientists’ Prioritization of Communication Objectives for Public Engagement Dudo, Anthony; Besley, John C. PLOS ONE, Vol. 11, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0148867	journal	February 2016
Scientists’ views about communication objectives Besley, John C.; Dudo, Anthony; Yuan, Shupei Public Understanding of Science, Vol. 27, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1177/0963662517728478	journal	August 2017
Intersectionality Dis/ability Research: How Dis/ability Research in Education Engages Intersectionality to Uncover the Multidimensional Construction of Dis/abled Experiences Hernández-Saca, David I.; Gutmann Kahn, Laurie; Cannon, Mercedes A. Review of Research in Education, Vol. 42, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.3102/0091732X18762439	journal	March 2018
From the margins to the mainstream: deconstructing science communication as a white, Western paradigm Finlay, Summer May; Raman, Sujatha; Rasekoala, Elizabeth Journal of Science Communication, Vol. 20, Issue 01 https://doi.org/10.22323/2.20010302	journal	February 2021
Effectiveness of a Summer Experience for Inspiring Interest in Geoscience Among Hispanic-American High School Students Miller, Kate C.; Carrick, Tina; Martínez-Sussmann, Carmen Journal of Geoscience Education, Vol. 55, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.5408/1089-9995-55.6.596	journal	December 2007
Science for what public? Addressing equity in American science museums and science centers Feinstein, Noah Weeth; Meshoulam, David Journal of Research in Science Teaching, Vol. 51, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21130	journal	December 2013
What’s Your “Street Race”? Leveraging Multidimensional Measures of Race and Intersectionality for Examining Physical and Mental Health Status among Latinxs López, Nancy; Vargas, Edward; Juarez, Melina Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, Vol. 4, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1177/2332649217708798	journal	June 2017
Utilizing Multidimensional Measures of Race in Education Research Irizarry, Yasmiyn Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, Vol. 1, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1177/2332649215580350	journal	April 2015
The cultural side of science communication Medin, Douglas L.; Bang, Megan Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 111, Issue supplement_4 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1317510111	journal	September 2014
Conducting Indigenous research in Western knowledge spaces: aligning theory and methodology Singh, Myra; Major, Jae The Australian Educational Researcher, Vol. 44, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-017-0233-z	journal	February 2017
Defining ?science? in a multicultural world: Implications for science education Cobern, William W.; Loving, Cathleen C. Science Education, Vol. 85, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1002/1098-237X(200101)85:1%3C50::AID-SCE5%3E3.0.CO;2-G	journal	January 2000
Science Communication Demands a Critical Approach That Centers Inclusion, Equity, and Intersectionality Canfield, Katherine N.; Menezes, Sunshine; Matsuda, Shayle B. Frontiers in Communication, Vol. 5 https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2020.00002	journal	January 2020
Racial and ethnic differences in the students’ readiness, identity, perceptions of institutional diversity, and desire to join the environmental workforce Taylor, Dorceta E. Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Vol. 8, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1007/s13412-017-0447-4	journal	October 2017
Science, New Media, and the Public Brossard, Dominique; Scheufele, Dietram A. Science, Vol. 339, Issue 6115 https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1232329	journal	January 2013
Acknowledging and Supplanting White Supremacy Culture in Science Communication and STEM: The Role of Science Communication Trainers Callwood, Karlisa A.; Weiss, Marissa; Hendricks, Rose Frontiers in Communication, Vol. 7 https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2022.787750	journal	February 2022
Counterspaces: A Unit of Analysis for Understanding the Role of Settings in Marginalized Individuals’ Adaptive Responses to Oppression Case, Andrew D.; Hunter, Carla D. American Journal of Community Psychology, Vol. 50, Issue 1-2 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-012-9497-7	journal	February 2012
Strategies for including communication of non-Western and indigenous knowledges in science communication histories Orthia, Lindy Journal of Science Communication, Vol. 19, Issue 02 https://doi.org/10.22323/2.19020202	journal	March 2020
Counterspaces for women of color in STEM higher education: Marginal and central spaces for persistence and success: COUNTERSPACES FOR WOMEN OF COLOR IN STEM EDUCATION Ong, Maria; Smith, Janet M.; Ko, Lily T. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, Vol. 55, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21417	journal	August 2017
Without inclusion, diversity initiatives may not be enough Puritty, Chandler; Strickland, Lynette R.; Alia, Eanas Science, Vol. 357, Issue 6356 https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aai9054	journal	September 2017
A Model of Queer STEM Identity in the Workplace Mattheis, Allison; De Arellano, Daniel Cruz-Ramírez; Yoder, Jeremy B. Journal of Homosexuality, Vol. 67, Issue 13 https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2019.1610632	journal	May 2019
Reimagining publics and (non) participation: Exploring exclusion from science communication through the experiences of low-income, minority ethnic groups Dawson, Emily Public Understanding of Science, Vol. 27, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1177/0963662517750072	journal	January 2018
A Systematic Map of Inclusion, Equity and Diversity in Science Communication Research: Do We Practice what We Preach? Judd, Karina; McKinnon, Merryn Frontiers in Communication, Vol. 6 https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2021.744365	journal	October 2021
How Academic Biologists and Physicists View Science Outreach Ecklund, Elaine Howard; James, Sarah A.; Lincoln, Anne E. PLoS ONE, Vol. 7, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0036240	journal	May 2012
Being safe from what and safe for whom? A critical discussion of the conceptual metaphor of ‘safe space’ Flensner, Karin K.; Von der Lippe, Marie Intercultural Education, Vol. 30, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1080/14675986.2019.1540102	journal	January 2019
Examining Transformational Resistance Through a Critical Race and Latcrit Theory Framework Solorzano, Daniel G.; Bernal, Dolores Delgado Urban Education, Vol. 36, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085901363002	journal	May 2001
Diversity in Everyday Discourse: The Cultural Ambiguities and Consequences of “Happy Talk” Bell, Joyce M.; Hartmann, Douglas American Sociological Review, Vol. 72, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1177/000312240707200603	journal	December 2007
Knowledge◦rooms — science communication in local, welcoming spaces to foster social inclusion Streicher, Barbara; Unterleitner, Kathrin; Schulze, Heidrun Journal of Science Communication, Vol. 13, Issue 02 https://doi.org/10.22323/2.13020303	journal	May 2014
Reframing social exclusion from science communication: moving away from ‘barriers’ towards a more complex perspective Dawson, Emily Journal of Science Communication, Vol. 13, Issue 02 https://doi.org/10.22323/2.13020302	journal	May 2014
Designing for Rightful Presence in STEM: The Role of Making Present Practices Calabrese Barton, Angela; Tan, Edna Journal of the Learning Sciences, Vol. 28, Issue 4-5 https://doi.org/10.1080/10508406.2019.1591411	journal	March 2019
Research with Marginalized Communities: Challenges to Continuity During the COVID-19 Pandemic Sevelius, Jae M.; Gutierrez-Mock, Luis; Zamudio-Haas, Sophia AIDS and Behavior, Vol. 24, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-020-02920-3	journal	May 2020
If Indigenous Peoples Stand with the Sciences, Will Scientists Stand with Us? Bang, Megan; Marin, Ananda; Medin, Douglas Daedalus, Vol. 147, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1162/DAED_a_00498	journal	March 2018
Marginalization: Conceptualizing patient vulnerabilities in the framework of social determinants of health-An integrative review Baah, Foster Osei; Teitelman, Anne M.; Riegel, Barbara Nursing Inquiry, Vol. 26, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1111/nin.12268	journal	November 2018
Science Communication Training in North America: Preparing Whom to Do What With What Effect? Dudo, Anthony; Besley, John C.; Yuan, Shupei Science Communication, Vol. 43, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1177/1075547020960138	journal	September 2020
Understanding Scientists’ Willingness to Engage Besley, John C.; Dudo, Anthony; Yuan, Shupei Science Communication, Vol. 40, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1177/1075547018786561	journal	July 2018
"Microaggressions" in engineering education: Climate for Asian, Latina and White women Camacho, Michelle Madsen; Lord, Susan M. 2011 Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE) https://doi.org/10.1109/FIE.2011.6142970	conference	October 2011
The Biota Project: A Case Study of a Multimedia, Grassroots Approach to Scientific Communication for Engaging Diverse Audiences Cheng, Helen; Dove, Nicholas C.; Mena, Jessica M. Integrative and Comparative Biology, Vol. 58, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icy091	journal	August 2018
Race and racism in the geosciences Dutt, Kuheli Nature Geoscience, Vol. 13, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-019-0519-z	journal	December 2019
Nondisclosure of queer identities is associated with reduced scholarly publication rates Nelson, Joey; Mattheis, Allison; Yoder, Jeremy B. PLOS ONE, Vol. 17, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0263728	journal	March 2022
Queer in STEM Organizations: Workplace Disadvantages for LGBT Employees in STEM Related Federal Agencies Cech, Erin; Pham, Michelle Social Sciences, Vol. 6, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci6010012	journal	February 2017
Diversity in the Geosciences and Successful Strategies for Increasing Diversity Huntoon, Jacqueline E.; Lane, Melissa J. Journal of Geoscience Education, Vol. 55, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.5408/1089-9995-55.6.447	journal	December 2007
Professionally held perceptions about the accessibility of the geosciences Atchison, Christopher L.; Libarkin, Julie C. Geosphere, Vol. 12, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1130/GES01264.1	journal	July 2016
Reflexive Engagement? Actors, Learning, and Reflexivity in Public Dialogue on Science and Technology Chilvers, Jason Science Communication, Vol. 35, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1177/1075547012454598	journal	September 2012
Corrigendum: Moving Toward Inclusion: Participant Responses to the Inclusive SciComm Symposium Smith, Hollie; Menezes, Sunshine; Canfield, Katherine Frontiers in Communication, Vol. 5 https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2020.00022	journal	April 2020
Defining the Flow—Using an Intersectional Scientific Methodology to Construct a VanguardSTEM Hyperspace Isler, Jedidah C.; Berryman, Natasha V.; Harriot, Anicca Genealogy, Vol. 5, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy5010008	journal	January 2021
Inclusive geoscience instruction Atchison, Christopher; Martinez-Frias, Jesus Nature Geoscience, Vol. 5, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo1487	journal	May 2012
Comparing Speech Recognition Systems (Microsoft API, Google API And CMU Sphinx) Këpuska, Veton International Journal of Engineering Research and Applications, Vol. 07, Issue 03 https://doi.org/10.9790/9622-0703022024	journal	March 2017