28th Cottrell Scholar Conference Stresses Innovation, Attention to Diversity
More than 100 Cottrell Scholars met face to face to welcome a new class of teacher-scholars July 6-8, 2022, at the 28th Annual Cottrell Scholar Conference in Tucson, Arizona. Centered around the theme of “Creativity and Innovation in STEM Education,” the conference was the community’s first in-person meeting since 2019.
“It’s always an honor to welcome a new class, but this year it was even sweeter,” said Senior Program Director Silvia Ronco. “Our pandemic classes of 2020 and 2021 have only experienced virtual meetings, so it was wonderful to see them here in person, getting to know each other and making the connections that will mean so much to them throughout their careers.”
A central goal of the conference, co-chaired by Ronco, CS 1994 Julio de Paula, Lewis & Clark College, and CS 1997 Gina MacDonald, James Madison University, was to introduce the newest class of Cottrell Scholars to the community. In two separate sessions, the outstanding teacher-scholars from institutions around the United States and Canada described their research and educational plans to the group.
The conference was a platform for discussions on incorporating creativity and innovation into STEM education, and an opportunity to develop ideas for educational collaborations. The importance of inclusive teaching approaches and more equitable academic environments – to prevent loss in the STEM pipeline and build scientific identity for students – ran throughout the conversations.
“It’s inspiring to see how much you care for the well-being of students,” RCSA President & CEO Daniel Linzer told the group. “Everybody has angst about the world today, and coming together to try to address these issues is great evidence of the power of this community and your commitment to your students’ learning, their lives, and their participation in a world that is challenging.”
Talks, workshops and presentations provided ideas for conversations in facilitated breakout discussions and more informal networking sessions.
In his keynote presentation, “It’s Not Your Fault: Adapting Education for 21st Century Careers,” Doug Arion, Professor Emeritus of Physics and Entrepreneurship at Carthage College, challenged the teacher-scholars to explore new ways to adapt STEM courses to better prepare students, whether they plan to enter the workforce or continue in academic careers.
“Students want to solve real-world problems,” he said, adding that many of the fundamental professional skills students need can be taught in the context of STEM coursework. He said academic institutions must pay attention to this issue to ensure their continued relevance.
Speaker Rich Carter, Professor of Chemistry at Oregon State, talked about novel ways to recognize faculty impact in promotion and tenure processes, including innovation and entrepreneurship, community involvement, and diversity, equity and inclusion.
In his talk, “Inclusive Recognition of Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Impact on Promotion and Tenure,” he said traditional metrics of evaluating faculty – papers published, grants secured, and patents granted – stifle innovation and may not align with the more people-centric goals of most institutions’ missions.
CS 2003 Nikki Pohl, Indiana University Bloomington, and CS 2002 Andrew Feig, Senior Program Director at RCSA, led a facilitated discussion based on some of the ideas in Priya Parker’s book The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why it Matters.
“We are at a historical time when we need to have so many different important discussions,” Pohl said. As the pandemic eases, she and Feig urged participants to consider how gatherings of scientists have changed over the last two years, the challenges and opportunities presented by new technologies, and how to make meetings more productive and equitable.
The conference included presentation of trophies to new Cottrell Scholars and after-dinner talks by 2022 IMPACT Award winner Seth M. Cohen, University of California, San Diego, and STAR Award winners Rae Robertson-Anderson, University of San Diego, and Scott Snyder, University of Chicago.
A Cottrell Scholars Collaborative Fair also gave participants a chance to see the progress of several Cottrell Scholars Collaborative projects, including: a project to use augmented and virtual reality to enhance visualization of atoms, molecules, and materials; workshops on using Python to enhance science education; an effort to raise awareness of the contributions of diverse role models in chemistry and physics; a pilot program to help underrepresented postdoctoral scholars transition to faculty positions; and the just-published second edition of Teach Better, Save Time, and Have More Fun: A Guide to Teaching and Mentoring in Science.
RCSA Board Chair Eugene Flood was there to launch RCSA’s newest award, the Robert Holland Jr. Award for Research Excellence and Contributions to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Designed by Cottrell Scholars, who thought the addition of informed and diverse perspectives would expand the ability of the CS community to affect change, the award will celebrate the work of outstanding scholars with backgrounds and contributions currently underrepresented in the Cottrell Scholar community.
“It’s critical the academic science community makes more strides in DEI,” Flood said. “I know the board is proud of the progress RCSA is making, especially as I look at the current makeup of the Cottrell Scholar and Scialog communities. This award is another way for RCSA to lean in and advance the longstanding efforts of Cottrell Scholars to create a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable culture in the physical sciences and beyond.”
