Author: Ashley Atkinson

Michigan State Week of SEISMIC

Posted on by Ashley Atkinson

Michigan State Week of SEISMIC

By Nita Tarchinski, edited by Ashley Atkinson

I’ve Never Seen So Much Green

Michigan State University Week of SEISMIC, May 16-19, 2022

The final Week of SEISMIC of the spring is here, is anyone else feeling a little teary-eyed? East Lansing was a wonderful venue to wrap up the first five Weeks, offering plenty of beautiful trees and walking paths to prompt reflection and mindfulness.

We started off with a meeting for the Backchannel Project research team to discuss analysis plans for the data already collected and to be collected, accompanied by some sweet pie from the Grand Traverse Pie Company.

From there we transitioned to STEM Education Presentations and Social to build connections across the MSU STEM Education community. Ryan Sweeder provided a brief introduction to the SEISMIC collaboration and MSU’s place in it. Nita Tarchinski gave a lengthier presentation on the different activities of the collaboration and how individuals can engage in it, followed by a SEISMIC Trivia game offering the chance to bring home some new SEISMIC swag. Perry Samson took the microphone next, sharing on the SEISMIC CLUEs project he leads.

After these talks, several attendees took the opportunity to participate in 1-minute lightning talks to provide brief introductions to themselves and their work at MSU. The lightning talks were a great way for audience members to learn just enough about each person to prompt deeper conversations over food and drinks later in the session.

In Day 2 we transitioned to an intense writing retreat for an upcoming SEISMIC grant proposal. 6 straight hours of work for the in-person contingent, 4 of which included our virtual team as well, resulted in a clear and concise 10-step project plan for the grant, as well as established writing roles for each member, a collective understanding of the goals and approaches for the project, and identified pilot data to be analyzed. A much-needed scenic walk following the retreat helped to clear the mind, and the cosmik fries at Hopcat did not disappoint.

 

 

Wednesday’s focus was on making connections between the STEM education community and university administrators. Mark Largent, Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education & Dean of Undergraduate Studies, provided helpful context for those curious about MSU’s efforts towards an inclusive STEM community, followed by a presentation by Marco Molinaro on using institutional data to motivate change.Then, the in-person and virtual attendees engaged in small-group discussions on the question – “How can institutional data help advance teaching at MSU?”

Next, Renata Opoczynski, Assistant Dean for Student Success Assessment and Strategic Initiatives, provided a useful overview of the tools available to MSU members to examine student institutional and classroom data. This presentation was followed by more hybrid discussions, this time on “How can we create better communication between researchers and administrative policy makers at different levels to advance all our efforts?” 

The MSU Week of SEISMIC wrapped up with one-on-one and small group meetings to reflect on the successes of this and the other Weeks of SEISMIC and how to move forward productively from here.

We hope to see you in the next academic year as we continue our Weeks of SEISMIC at the University of Minnesota, the University of Pittsburgh, Arizona State University, Indiana University, and the University of California Davis!

 

 

Nita Tarchinski

Nita Tarchinski is the Project Manager for the Sloan Equity and Inclusion in STEM Introductory Courses (SEISMIC) Collaboration, coordinating multi-institutional and multidisciplinary research and teaching projects focused on making introductory STEM courses more equitable and inclusive.

Ashley Atkinson

Ashley Atkinson is a Program Assistant for SEISMIC Central, lending a hand to whichever projects need support. Her primary projects include the SEISMIC website, making graphics for various efforts, and editing a podcast. As an alum from Michigan State University, Ashley is passionate about equity and inclusion in STEM alongside science communication.

 

 

 

 

University of Michigan Week of SEISMIC

Posted on by Ashley Atkinson

University of Michigan Week of SEISMIC

By Nita Tarchinski, edited by Ashley Atkinson

April Showers Bring May in Michigan

University of Michigan Week of SEISMIC, May 2-6, 2022

We’re not done yet! The fourth Week of SEISMIC brought collaborators to Ann Arbor, MI for a full week of activities. Eric Bell, Heather Rypkema, Nicholas Young, Becky Matz, and Cait Hayward started us off with a hybrid presentation on “Using equity data to inform campus change“, which explored the UM Assessment Toolkit Initiative’s role in promoting institutional change.

As Measurement project team members started to arrive in town that evening, we met up at Jolly Pumpkin for an informal and savory dinner. A few members even made the walk to Michigan Stadium for a view of the Block M.

 

 

With an early start on Tuesday, the Measurement team got right to work discussing revisions to their research design for a SEISMIC-wide parallel analysis project. Team members brainstormed new research questions, considered the possibilities and drawbacks of different analysis approaches, and worked to refine their population of study.

At midday we moved to the Michigan League for a presentation by Sara Brownell on “Creating more inclusive STEM learning environments for LGBTQ+ individuals”. Sara shared findings from several of her research studies to help attendees understand how active learning spaces and instructional strategies can better support LGBTQ+ students.

The Measurement team continued their discussions in the afternoon and ended the evening at Black Pearl for dinner.

 

As we reached the halfway point of our week, the Measurement team wrapped up conversations and made a plan for next steps. With a journal venue in mind, an established population of study, and clear research questions, the next step is to refine the analysis code.

 

Meanwhile, the Enriching Scholarship conference at UM was just starting, and several SEISMIC members were lined up to present. Perry Samson presented on the SEISMIC CLUEs project, Susan Cheng, Elizabeth Levesque, and collaborators shared on “Teaching the Whole Student – How to Create a Supportive Classroom Climate for Students and Instructors using Wellness Check-ins,” and Vanessa Woods, Mike Wilton, Sara Brownell, and Nita Tarchinski gave an overview of SEISMIC and some of our different classroom innovations instructors can use.

As the Measurement Team was wrapping up its meetings and the Constructs project team members were arriving in Ann Arbor, we made our way to the Michigan League once more for a launch of our SEISMIC Summer Book – Teaching to Transgress, and a lively game of SEISMIC Trivia. Lucky individuals went home with new SEISMIC swag and (we hope) a better understanding of the collaboration and their role in it.

A trip to Ann Arbor is not complete without a visit to Zingerman’s Delicatessen and Blank Slate Creamery, so on we went.

 

 

The next day members from the Constructs Working Group met to reflect on successes of the group and where to go from here. It was heartening to hear about all of the work of the group and realize the impact this group has made on the collaboration and our goals for STEM education.

Ginger Shultz led us into the afternoon with a talk on “Capturing the Collaborative Design of Culturally Relevant Inquiry Activities”, showing us how to create a more equitable experience for students by making cultural connections to academic content and activating the resources students bring to the classroom.

The Constructs Frameworks Project team gathered in the afternoon to review the team’s progress on the Critical Race Theory draft primer and to sign up to write new primers on other critical theories. Café Zola hosted us for a delightful Constructs dinner that night where we savored seasoned fries, tangy calamari, fresh meats and cheeses, and plenty more.

As we neared the end of the week SEISMIC members participated in a special tour of the new UM Central Campus Classroom Building, taking in the impressive classroom in the round, active learning classrooms, and 572-person auditorium.

Our final event was a presentation by Nikeetha Farfan D’Souza on “Remembering and Reclaiming the “Critical” in the Age of Anti-CRT America: What Does “Critical” Mean and Why is this Important for DEI in STEM Higher Education Now?“, prompting thoughtful discussions on critical theories and doing critical work.

And with that, the UM Week of SEISMIC came to an end. We’ll see you in two weeks for the final Week of SEISMIC of the spring!

 

 

Nita Tarchinski

Nita Tarchinski is the Project Manager for the Sloan Equity and Inclusion in STEM Introductory Courses (SEISMIC) Collaboration, coordinating multi-institutional and multidisciplinary research and teaching projects focused on making introductory STEM courses more equitable and inclusive.

Ashley Atkinson

Ashley Atkinson is a Program Assistant for SEISMIC Central, lending a hand to whichever projects need support. Her primary projects include the SEISMIC website, making graphics for various efforts, and editing a podcast. As an alum from Michigan State University, Ashley is passionate about equity and inclusion in STEM alongside science communication.

 

 

 

 

Purdue Week of SEISMIC

Posted on by Ashley Atkinson

Purdue Week of SEISMIC

By Nita Tarchinski, edited by Ashley Atkinson

Our Story Continues in Lively West Lafayette

Purdue University Week of SEISMIC, April 4-8, 2022

With barely 2 weeks to catch our breath, SEISMIC came together again for the 2nd Week of SEISMIC! And this time, we were looking at 5 days jam-packed with events. Whew!

Purdue’s Week of SEISMIC emphasized several types of collaborative activities. We began with a hybrid gathering of representatives from teaching and learning centers across SEISMIC institutions. Out of town participants arrived Sunday night at the beautifully renovated Purdue Memorial Union. Monday began with a viewing of an IMPACT session. IMPACT stands for Instruction Matters: Purdue Academic Course Transformation. IMPACT has been running since 2011 and is a great example of course transformation. SEISMIC attendees appreciated the opportunity to see it in action!

In the afternoon we had our official gathering in the form of a hybrid brainstorming session. Representatives from 9 teaching centers, including from several Purdue campuses, shared insights on a few key questions.

 

  1. How do you currently support instructors (STEM in particular) to implement classroom innovations and create environments that are student-centered? If you are an instructor, how have you been supported by teaching and learning staff?
  2. How do we support instructors with less institutional power (lecturers, non-tenure track faculty, instructors of color) who may not always have the agency to implement innovations?
  3. How might lessons learned from these approaches be used to leverage or deepen collaborations between SEISMIC and teaching centers? 

The hybrid format worked impressively well, with in-person and virtual attendees able to interact and learn from each other. These discussions resulted in over 90 ideas being posted on a Jamboard, with a few notable themes on the roles of our Teaching and Learning colleagues:

  • Provide multiple points of entry for faculty and instructors to receive support, such as individual consultations, provision of feedback, workshops, reading groups, classroom observations, peer review, and intentional course and curriculum design and redesign.
  • Find ways and encourage instructors to create student-centered environments that require minimal time-investment, but have the potential to lead to time savings in the instructional process.
  • Foster collaboration among instructors through informal learning communities and communities of practice supported by the faculty center but led by instructors, or through formal faculty learning communities (FLC) embedded in professional development programs or course/curriculum redesign programs, some of which are very large and multi-year (e.g. Foundational Course Initiative at Michigan and IMPACT at Purdue).

We were happy to hear at the end of this event there was clear interest from attendees to more formally connect through SEISMIC. We are considering the Implementing Change Working Group as a possible home for the SEISMIC Teaching and Learning Community, which will continue to share resources and ideas through this collaboration.

We wrapped up Day 1 with food and drinks in the Purdue Memorial Union’s new BoilerUp Bar and 8Eleven Bistro. Smiles all around!

Day 2 continued the Teaching and Learning theme with another IMPACT session available for attending in-person or viewing online followed by Lightning Talks on Course Innovations. Nine presenters shared classroom innovations they have tried, inspiring attendees on activities they could do in their classes.

As we wrapped up our Teaching and Learning centered events, our Measurement team members started to arrive in West Lafayette. We met up in the evening at Bru Burger for absolutely delicious burgers, fries, and homemade sauces

 

Our Measurement conversations kicked off on Wednesday with an interactive session led by Emily Bonem on challenges and potential solutions related to data access and structures across SEISMIC. Attendees brainstormed in teams and then shared with the whole group. Some ideas shared included

  • Addressing complex and ill-defined structures by setting local and group norms
  • Creating a safe place in order to address fear of failure and establish trust
  • Creating more documentation in order to increase accessibility to data sources

From there we did a gallery walk, adding our own ideas for how to address the common problems faced at our institutions. Solutions shared included

  • Using SEISMIC as an organization to nudge administrators about supporting equity research
  • Brainstorming more often so that solutions can be proposed and explored
  • Participating in professional development / engaging in dialogue to increase confidence

Meaghan Pearson kept our energy up with her presentation, “Integrating QuantCrit Approaches to Stem Equity Work” which provided key insights from her recently published SEISMIC paper, “Integrating Critical Approaches into Quantitative STEM Equity Work” and was followed by lively discussion with the audience.

Tensions ran high during Nita Tarchinski’s presentation on “Opportunities to Engage with the  SEISMIC Collaboration” as both in-person and virtual participants vied to win SEISMIC swag items for knowing the most about the collaboration.

 

 

After a hearty lunch and walk around campus, we returned to the Purdue Memorial Union for an engaging presentation by W. Carson Byrd on his recently published book, Behind the Diversity Numbers: Achieving Racial Equity on Campus. Lucky in-person participants received the book and got it signed by the author!

Next up we had a “Future of Learning” presentation facilitated by Ed Berger and Jenna Rickus. Participants learned about innovative residential learning, focusing on when living and learning merge.

We wrapped up the afternoon discussing findings and recommendations shared by Shaun Harper at an earlier event, the Purdue Maximizing Student Potential conference.  Finally, we returned once more to 8Eleven Bistro for a scrumptious dinner with colleagues. It was wonderful to meet so many new people in-person.

 

 

 

Promoting Equity and Justice Through Pedagogical Partnership

Day 4 continued the data conversations and transitioned us to questions on how to use institutional data at different levels of the university for different types of change. Anne Weiss, the assistant director of the IDAtA project, shared about Purdue’s plans for using a sense of belonging instrument to transform institutional data into a rich body of strategic intelligence that is accessible, well-defined and useful to decision-makers at all levels of the organization.

Susan Cheng and Heather Rypkema facilitated a workshop on “Questioning Classroom Routines to Develop Equity-Minded Practice”, helping instructors to see equity-minded ways classroom data about students can be measured, interpreted, and used. Then, Linda Adler-Kassner and Marco Molinaro presented for Purdue administrators on “Using DEI Data Wisely” They shared tools for cultivating one’s message, including setting up a graphic of communication strategies to tailor one’s message to their audience, while staying in line with one’s personal values.

On the final day Alison Cook-Sather gave the keynote presentation on her book, “Promoting Equity and Justice through Pedagogical Partnerships“. Alison, along with student partners from Bryn Mawr, consulted with faculty at Purdue on how faculty can work together to create opportunities for students from underrepresented and equity-seeking groups to collaborate with faculty and staff to revise and reinvent pedagogies, assessments, and course designs, positioning equity and justice as core educational aims.

Purdue is running a book group on this book this spring, led by Daniel Guberman. The first meeting took place on Day 5 of the Purdue Week of SEISMIC, and in-person participants received a copy of the book as well.

The jam-packed Purdue Week of SEISMIC came to a close on Friday, April 8 after a dinner with the keynote speaker. What a week.

Up next, Santa Barbara!

 

 

Nita Tarchinski

Nita Tarchinski is the Project Manager for the Sloan Equity and Inclusion in STEM Introductory Courses (SEISMIC) Collaboration, coordinating multi-institutional and multidisciplinary research and teaching projects focused on making introductory STEM courses more equitable and inclusive.

Ashley Atkinson

Ashley Atkinson is a Program Assistant for SEISMIC Central, lending a hand to whichever projects need support. Her primary projects include the SEISMIC website, making graphics for various efforts, and editing a podcast. As an alum from Michigan State University, Ashley is passionate about equity and inclusion in STEM alongside science communication.

 

 

 

 

UC Santa Barbara Week of SEISMIC

Posted on by Ashley Atkinson

UC Santa Barbara Week of SEISMIC

By Nita Tarchinski, edited by Ashley Atkinson

 

We Found the Big Plants and Big Smiles

University of California Santa Barbara Week of SEISMIC, April 18-22, 2022

And here we go again! The UCSB Week of SEISMIC kicked off on Monday with a meeting to formally connect SEISMIC with the UCSB Instructional Development Team. They discussed ways current SEISMIC Experiments projects could integrate with the work of the Instructional Developers. Following this, the core UCSB SEISMIC team got together to discuss how to expand involvement in SEISMIC at UCSB.

 

 

 

Several ideas were shared, including starting a UCSB-SEISMIC Seminar Series that meets 3 times per quarter. Members proposed that these seminars could consist of local talks, workshops, visitors, a coffee hour, and a journal club. This would provide a recurring opportunity for UCSB members to engage as a SEISMIC community.

Tuesday launched the work of the Access to Practice project team. The goal – get chemistry faculty at UCSB on board with using peer-reviewed writing activities in their courses. Laura Brown was a phenomenal advocate for this effort, having several success stories to share regarding her own experiences reforming introductory chemistry. After some informal conversations over lunch, Laura Brown, Vanessa Woods, and Maggie Safronova teamed up for an Access to Practice Roundtable conversation, providing the opportunity for interested instructors to learn about the project and how it could work in their contexts. The conversations continued over chips and guac at Carlito’s in the evening.

Meanwhile, the University of Michigan ECoach team was making their way to Santa Barbara. They arrived in time for a tasty meal at Finney’s Crafthouse, preceded by a walk along the pier at sunset.

 

The next day we were full steam ahead on consultations about new ECoach programs at UCSB. The ECoach team met with the UCSB Teaching and Learning team, including staff in Instructional Development and the Center for Innovative Teaching, Research, and Learning (CITRAL), to devise a plan for the development and implementation of a new ECoach for the Fall 2022 Intro Biology Cohort. This fall, students in two biology departments — MCDB  and EEMB — will receive tailored messaging from Intro Bio Coordinators in an effort to help students successfully navigate the introductory Biology sequence. A scenic drive into the mountains and dinner at Flor de Maíz capped off the evening.

 

The next day brought the SEISMIC Scholars and Office Hours project teams to campus. The SEISMIC Scholars organizing team, consisting of Vanessa Woods, Mike Wilton, Anna James, Sabrina Solanki, Nita Tarchinski, and Karen Vega Vega, took a deep dive into planning for the 2022 SEISMIC Scholars program. After, we hosted a panel discussion for UCSB students, staff, and faculty to learn more about the SEISMIC Scholars experience from two past Scholars – Karen Vega Vega and Angela Torres. Having both worked on the Office Hours project last summer, Karen and Angela shared two perspectives on how a student can engage with the program and have their own distinct research topic.

After, the Office Hours project team met to get organized and prepare for the next day’s activities.

We closed out the afternoon with a stunning reception on the roof of the Mosher Alumni House.

SEISMIC Project Manager Nita Tarchinski hosted a rousing game of SEISMIC Trivia, resulting in several attendees leaving with some new SEISMIC swag.

The evening wrapped up with a fantastic dinner at The Leta Hotel for the Office Hours team. While some had to leave early, those who stayed until the end were rewarded with decadent desserts and a rainy drive home.

On the final day of the week, the Office Hours project team engaged in a full-day meeting to move their research agenda forward, including discussions on possible grant opportunities and organizing publication goals.

And there you have it. The third Week of SEISMIC brought on another round of productive meetings, engaging presentations, good food, and big smiles.

 

Nita Tarchinski

Nita Tarchinski is the Project Manager for the Sloan Equity and Inclusion in STEM Introductory Courses (SEISMIC) Collaboration, coordinating multi-institutional and multidisciplinary research and teaching projects focused on making introductory STEM courses more equitable and inclusive.

Ashley Atkinson

Ashley Atkinson is a Program Assistant for SEISMIC Central, lending a hand to whichever projects need support. Her primary projects include the SEISMIC website, making graphics for various efforts, and editing a podcast. As an alum from Michigan State University, Ashley is passionate about equity and inclusion in STEM alongside science communication.

 

 

 

 

 

Participating in SEISMIC

Posted on by Ashley Atkinson

Participating in SEISMIC

By Yunseo Cho, edited by Ashley Atkinson and Nita Tarchinski

 

SEISMIC is comprised of participants from ten partner institutions across the United States, as well as active external members and interested observers outside of the partner institutions. Our size is commendable, and it allows us as a collaborative to have a greater scope and larger audiences in mind during our work. It is even more incredible to think of the number of SEISMIC participants when one considers the fact that SEISMIC participation is volunteer-based. 

However, due to its volunteer-based nature, we in SEISMIC Central frequently hear that SEISMIC members often feel guilty that they are not able to put as much time towards SEISMIC as they would like. There is almost always a lot going on within the collaborative (e.g., emails, meetings, events, travel opportunities), leaving members to feel as if they are not keeping up with everything that SEISMIC has to offer. As a result, many SEISMIC members seem to believe that they are not as involved as they should be or want to be, because they assume that other participants are more active than they are.

Given this common belief throughout the collaboration, it is necessary for us to point out that no matter what one’s type of participation is, all types of participation are fine.  In addition to this, whether or not one is a part of a SEISMIC institution does not invalidate their contributions to and participation in SEISMIC. Below we share four common ways people participate in this collaboration.

The first type of participation, “Breaking News,” is the kind of participation that one would partake in if they are curious to know what is happening with SEISMIC, but they do not wish to be directly involved. Participants in this category receive monthly newsletters, and many also follow SEISMIC on Twitter for updates.

The second type of participation, “Aftershock,” best describes members of SEISMIC who are interested in activities and are also affiliated with one of the SEISMIC member institutions. Members in this category are able to attend SEISMIC speaker visits on their campus, can help coordinate these visits, and can also travel to other institutions as SEISMIC speakers.

Stephanie Walker, the Associate Director of the Science Learning Center at the University of Michigan, is one SEISMIC member whose participation aligns with this category. “I participate in SEISMIC through attending Speaker Events, engaging in the Annual Meetings, connecting at the campus meet up opportunities, and sharing the newsletter information with my department. As a staff member, I find it encouraging to learn about all of the ways faculty are working to make success in introductory STEM courses more equitable. I find my engagement in SEISMIC sparking new ideas to apply to my co-curricular work with students.”

George Rehrey, an Adjunct Instructor at Indiana University, says, “My participation in SEISMIC has truly advanced my understanding of how important and complicated issues of diversity, equity and inclusion are in higher education today. This has been especially true when it comes to issues of belongingness and how we might be able to mitigate them to help more students succeed in STEM.”

Stephanie Walker

George Rehrey

“Earthquake” is the third type of participation. SEISMIC members in this type of participation are those who want to influence the direction of the Working Groups. They are involved in presenting the progress of their Working Group at conferences and speaker visits, attending Working Group meetings, influencing the direction of potential grant proposals, and overall, contributing to the vision and goals of the Working Group.

Lastly, “Epicenter” is the fourth type of SEISMIC participation. This type of participation is for those who want to be as involved as possible.  Members in the “Epicenter” category are project team members and thus share responsibility for the progress of specific projects. They are encouraged to write grant proposals as needed to fund specific projects; other ways they can contribute are opening up their classroom to a study, running analysis code, planning the experimental design, writing up results, and many other activities.

Laura Brown

Natasha Turman

Laura Brown, Senior Lecturer at Indiana University, says, “I teach organic chemistry at Indiana University, and I am interested in identifying and implementing evidence-based interventions that lead to more equitable and inclusive classrooms. I do not have a background in chemical education, but through SEISMIC I was able to team up with educational researchers and work with them towards this goal.”

Natasha Turman, the Director of the Women in Science and Engineering Residence Program (WISE RP) at the University of Michigan, says her SEISMIC participation looks like, “co-leading a project group, supporting student scholars, facilitating group meetings, reviewing literature, staying current on STEM education needs through a critical lens.”

These four types of participation listed above only serve as examples— SEISMIC members may well be at the boundary of two types or participate in a way that might not entirely fit with any of these categories. We encourage you to think about participation in SEISMIC as you might think about a buffet. SEISMIC is the restaurant, providing space, chairs, and company for your feast. Our activities are the dishes available on the buffet table. One chooses what works for them based on their time, interests, and levels of effort they are able to commit.  

If you would like to choose more dishes, then here are some resources to start looking: 

 

Yunseo Cho

Yunseo Cho served as a Program Assistant for SEISMIC Central in 2021, playing a key role in managing the SEISMIC website, event planning, and preparing promotional materials for the collaboration.

Ashley Atkinson

Ashley Atkinson is a Program Assistant for SEISMIC Central, lending a hand to whichever projects need support. Her primary projects include the SEISMIC website, making graphics for various efforts, and editing a podcast. As an alum from Michigan State University, Ashley is passionate about equity and inclusion in STEM alongside science communication.

 

Nita Tarchinski

Nita Tarchinski is the Project Manager for the Sloan Equity and Inclusion in STEM Introductory Courses (SEISMIC) Collaboration, coordinating multi-institutional and multidisciplinary research and teaching projects focused on making introductory STEM courses more equitable and inclusive.

 

 

 

UCI Week of SEISMIC

Posted on by Ashley Atkinson

UCI Week of SEISMIC

By Nita Tarchinski, edited by Ashley Atkinson

Welcome to Sunny Skies and SEISMIC Times

University of California Irvine Week of SEISMIC, March 14-16, 2022

 

And we’re back! This March we launched our first Week of SEISMIC, hosted by the University of California Irvine. It was a blast! For the first time in several years, SEISMIC members from across the U.S. joined together in one geographic location for 3 days of intense ~seismic~ activity.

Many of us arrived Sunday night and met up for good food and drinks (shout out to Bosscat and CURRENT Coastal Cuisine), some of us seeing each other for the first time ever! Monday heralded in-person meetings for our Measurement Working Group attendees. The goal – refine parallel analysis plans, run code for each participating institution, and draft a manuscript. No big deal. 

      

 

 

Meanwhile, some of our SEISMIC administrative liaisons spent their time connecting with UC Irvine campus leadership, sharing the importance of parallel data analysis and the tips and tricks for optimizing institutional data structures. Tim McKay, Marco Molinaro, and Nita Tarchinski, facilitated by Brian Sato and Michael Dennin, connected with the UC Irvine STEM college and department deans to share the story of SEISMIC and pathways to collaborate with and learn from SEISMIC’s work. Nita Tarchinski shared “Opportunities to Engage with the SEISMIC Collaboration” accompanied by SEISMIC swag giveaways for audience members who answered questions about the collaboration correctly.

 

 

 

 

Dinner was a noisy affair at North Italia, accompanied by delectable desserts and charcuterie galore.

Day 2 promoted connections with students at UC Irvine who have been engaged in SEISMIC work. Past UC Irvine SEISMIC Scholars and Constructs Working Group undergraduate researchers got together for lunch with two of our SEISMIC Scholars Program Organizers, Sabrina Solanki and Nita Tarchinski. At the same time, past Measurement Fellows and graduate student researchers met up with the Measurement Fellows Organizers, Becky Matz and Stefano Fiorini. It was such a joy for the students and the organizers to finally meet in-person and share a meal.

 

Back at the Measurement meeting room, SEISMIC members were working hard to run the analysis code on their local institutional data and share the results. Kameryn compiled the data so we could see comparisons of results across institutions. We broke up the analysis with short periods of focused writing time on our manuscript. Marco Molinaro, Meryl Motika, and Nita Tarchinski shared initial ideas for an upcoming SEISMIC grant proposal and received constructive feedback from the Measurement team.

This evening we made it out to Newport Beach’s Fashion Island for amazing food at True Food Kitchen. We couldn’t leave without trying their ~transformative~ tea. We’re still not totally sure what was supposed to happen there…

We wrapped up the Week of SEISMIC with final discussions on the analysis and manuscript plans for the Measurement project. Chris Mead shared a presentation on “An examination of course grades and access to accommodations for students with disabilities in an online biology degree program”, followed by Becky Matz’s presentation on “Retaining some COVID-era flexibility in drop and pass/fail grading policies”.

With one final lunch to tide us over on our journeys home, the first ever Week of SEISMIC officially came to a close. What a whirlwind!

 

     

 

 

 

Nita Tarchinski

Nita Tarchinski is the Project Manager for the Sloan Equity and Inclusion in STEM Introductory Courses (SEISMIC) Collaboration, coordinating multi-institutional and multidisciplinary research and teaching projects focused on making introductory STEM courses more equitable and inclusive.

Ashley Atkinson

Ashley Atkinson is a Program Assistant for SEISMIC Central, lending a hand to whichever projects need support. Her primary projects include the SEISMIC website, making graphics for various efforts, and editing a podcast. As an alum from Michigan State University, Ashley is passionate about equity and inclusion in STEM alongside science communication.