Lab Daze: Increasing Interest in STEM Through Living Examples

• In Event: Roundtable Session 21
  In Roundtable Session: Enhancing the Learning of African American Students in STEM Subjects

Abstract

Research suggests that students have negative perceptions of scientists. In this YouTube era, can a web series that featuring women and minorities in computing sciences PhD program influence student perceptions of scientists? Lab Daze is a web series that features the Human-Centered Computing (HCC) Division at Clemson University. The HCC Division is the only PhD program in computing sciences in the nation that is majority female, majority African-American and majority USA Citizen. The HCC Division also has 6 African-American tenure-track faculty members. This is the largest collection of African-American faculty in the nation in computing sciences at PhD granting departments. Lab Daze features the innovative research in their labs, highlights the individual students and faculty. Collaborative research with education researchers is examining the impact Lab Daze could have on changing those negative stererotypes.

Author

• Juan E. Gilbert, University of Florida