Topic: Challenges for students with disabilities
When: Monday, Feb 1 from 12 - 1 pm
Where: Virtual (sign up for the Zoom link)
The next dB-SERC lunch discussion will take place on Monday, January 25 from 12 – 1 pm. Dr. Sara Brownell from Arizona State University will lead a discussion about challenges for students with disabilities in active learning, undergraduate research, and the transition to online in college STEM.
Abstract: Students with disabilities are one of the most underrepresented groups in STEM. Although universities are legally required to provide accommodations for students with disabilities, changing college learning environments present challenges for students with disabilities to receive the accommodations that they need. This talk highlights work that we have done exploring the experiences of students with disabilities in active learning courses, in online courses after the rapid transition online due to COVID-19, and the experiences of students with disabilities in undergraduate research experiences. This work illuminates current challenges for students with disabilities and ways that universities can better support students with disabilities.
Bio: Sara Brownell is an Associate Professor in the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University. She received her B.S. degree in biology from Cornell University, a M.S. in biology from The Scripps Research Institute, a M.A. in education from Stanford University, and a Ph.D. in biology from Stanford University. She completed two postdoctoral fellowships working with Dr. Kimberly Tanner at San Francisco State University and Dr. Scott Freeman, Mary Pat Wenderoth, and Alison Crowe at the University of Washington. Sara is a biology education researcher who explores how we can make undergraduate STEM learning experiences more inclusive, specifically for women, LGBTQ+ students, religious students, and students with disabilities. She is a proud recipient of the 2020 LGBTQ+ Educator of the Year award and her work has been featured in popular news outlets including the New York Times, NPR, and the Onion.
