Evidence-Based Approaches to Educational Activities

Evidence shows that educational activities such as active teaching, research discovery and personal mentoring can be used to retain individuals in science majors and careers. Become informed about actions your institution has already taken to eliminate potential barriers to participation and what outcomes were experienced. Identify the people and offices engaged in this work and consider what you might do together to create a diverse and inclusive environment where scientific innovation can flourish. A number of professional journals publish studies on recruitment and retention in educational programs, including Cell Biology Education: Life Sciences, Academic Medicine, and others. Learn more about what you can do at specific career stages.

Training & Mentoring Students

Undergraduate Training

Undergraduate Research Experiences for STEM Students: Success Challenges, and Opportunities, Report from The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2017)
Barriers and Opportunities for 2-Year and 4-Year STEM Degrees: Systemic Change to Support Students’ Diverse Pathways, Report from The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2016)
Increasing Persistence of College Students in STEM. Science 341: 1455-1456 (2013)
Characteristics of Excellence in Undergraduate Research (COEUR), Council on Undergraduate Research (2012)
Minority Undergraduate Programs Intended to Increase Participation in Biomedical Careers. Mount Sinai Journal of Medicine 79: 769-781 (2012)
Patching the Pipeline: Reducing Educational Disparities in the Sciences Through Minority Training Programs Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis 1; 33(1) (2011)
Diversifying Science: Underrepresented Student Experiences in Structured Research Programs. Research in Higher Education. 50(2):189–214 (2009)
Encouraging Minority Undergraduates to Choose Science Careers: Career Paths Survey Results. CBE Life Sciences Education; 7: 394-409 (2008)
Undergraduate research experiences support science career decisions and active learning. CBE Life Sciences Education 6: 297-306 (2007)

Graduate Training

Graduate STEM Education for the 21st Century, Report from The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2018)
Beyond Preparation: Identity, Cultural Capital and Readiness for Graduate School in the Biomedical Sciences. Journal of Research in Science Teaching; 51: 1021-1048 (2014)
Integrating Theory and Practice to Increase Scientific Workforce Diversity: A Framework for Career Development in Graduate Research Training. CBE Life Sciences Education; 10: 357-367. (2011)
Research Training in the Biomedical, Behavioral, and Clinical Research Sciences, The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2011)
A Data-Based Assessment of Research-Doctorate Programs in the United States, The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2011)
Ph.D. Completion and Attrition: Analysis of Baseline Demographic Data from the PhD Completion Project, Council of Graduate Schools (2008)

Students with Disabilities

Students with Disabilities Choosing Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) Majors in Postsecondary Institutions. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability 27(3):261-272 (2014)
From College to Careers: Fostering Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in STEM, Science/AAAS Custom Publishing Office (2014)
Students with Disabilities Can Participate and Succeed in STEM Education (2013)
Accommodating Students with Disabilities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM): Findings from Research and Practice for Middle Grades through University Education, National Science Foundation (2012)
Literature Review: Disabilities and Diversity in Science and Engineering, Assessing Women and Men in Engineering (2012)
Chemists, Chemical Engineers, and Materials Scientists with Disabilities, Workshop Summary sponsored by National Science Foundation and National Institute of General Medical Sciences (2009)

Students from Disadvantaged Backgrounds

Mentoring Students and Trainees

Effective Mentoring in STEMM: Practice, Research, and Future Directions, Workshop – in Brief from The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2017)
Mentoring and the Career Satisfaction of Male and Female Academic Medical Faculty. Academic Medicine 89: 301-311 (2014)
A Research Mentor Training Curriculum for Clinical and Translational Researchers. Clinical Translational Sciences 6:26-33 (2013)
A Mentor Development Program for Clinical Translational Science Faculty Leads to Sustained Improved Confidence in Mentoring Skills. Clinical Translational Science 5: 362-367 (2012)
Mentoring Minority Graduate Students: Issues and Strategies for Institutions, Faculty and Students. Equal Opportunities International 26: 178-2007 (2007)
Nature’s Guide for Mentors, Nature (2007)
University of Wisconsin Program for Scientific Teaching: Entering Mentoring, The Wisconsin Program for Scientific Teaching (2005)

Building Diversity in Leadership

The Next Generation of Biomedical and Behavioral Sciences Researchers: Breaking Through, The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2018)
Sexual Harassment of Women: Climate, Culture, and Consequences in Academic Science, Engineering, and Medicine, The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2018)
Decoupling of the minority PhD talent pool and assistant professor hiring in medical school basic science departments. eLife 5:e21393 (2016)
Handbook of Best Practices for Faculty Searches, University of Washington (2016)
The State of Women in Academic Medicine: The Pipeline and Pathways to Leadership, Association of American Medical Colleges (2014)
Keeping Our Faculty of Color Symposium, University of Minnesota (2013)
Enhancing Faculty Diversity at Community Colleges: A Practical Solution for Advancing the Completion Agenda. Focus on Colleges, Universities & Schools 7(1) (2013)
Gender Differences at Critical Transitions in the Careers of Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Faculty, The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2010)
Higher Education Recruitment Consortium
Institute on Teaching and Mentoring
National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity