Between Two Worlds: Exploring Black Women's Marginalized Experiences in Engineering Doctoral Programs

• In Event: Fairmont Roundtable Session Two
  In Roundtable Session: Living and Learning at the Margins: Undocumented, Immigrant, and Students of Color Navigating Postsecondary Institutions (Table 9)

Abstract

In this research study, we analyze the doctoral experiences of an understudied group: Black women in engineering. Our work is guided by two research questions: What are the marginalized experiences of the Black women in engineering Ph.D. programs? How do their intersectional identities impact those experiences? We used semi-structured interviews to investigate the marginalized experiences of Black women. Our findings suggested that (1) all participants experienced microaggressions such as pet to threat phenomenon and racial battle fatigue from their peers and faculty, (2) participants were aware of threats associated with their racialized gendered identity (3) they developed strategies to navigate those barriers to be successful in their program. We discuss implications for faculty development, particularly pedagogical training.

Authors

• Debalina Maitra, New Mexico Highlands University
  Presenting Author

• Brooke Coley, Arizona State University
  Presenting Author

• Foy Dosunmu
  Presenting Author