Apr 27, 2025 12:20 AM
https://physics.aps.org/articles/v18/87
EXCERPT: This question of what to do is one that many students in physics face. It is well established that the environment in physics is persistently unfair. Some people are given more opportunities to participate and thrive in the field, resulting in an overrepresentation of some demographics. This inequity is a loss to the field and an injustice that needs to be corrected.
Students that have the negative experiences described above often leave physics and are highly successful in another field. But they carry with them the trauma of their physics experience, which might manifest as self-doubt about whether their experience was somehow their fault, experiencing anger because deep down they know it was not.
Departments often attribute the loss of those students—if they notice it at all—to a lack of commitment or ability. In the next round of admissions, the faculty may lament that they aren’t getting enough applications from a diverse enough pool of students.
In my recent study, I describe how some physics instructors are unaware that some students are isolated by their peers. Often, the instructors fail to recognize the isolation that stems from cultural misogyny and racism. Even when they do notice that there is a problem, the instructors struggle to come up with productive ways to make their classrooms fairer and more welcoming for everyone.
The instructors in my study cared about fairness and were often already taking action to make their departments and programs more welcoming and supportive for all students. If you have read this far, you are probably a lot like them. And just like them, you probably are inadvertently doing things that maintain the unfairness. It is what we all do without conscious, intentional, and sustained effort to do otherwise.
Physics departments should take responsibility for how students are treated in their departments... (MORE - missing details)
EXCERPT: This question of what to do is one that many students in physics face. It is well established that the environment in physics is persistently unfair. Some people are given more opportunities to participate and thrive in the field, resulting in an overrepresentation of some demographics. This inequity is a loss to the field and an injustice that needs to be corrected.
Students that have the negative experiences described above often leave physics and are highly successful in another field. But they carry with them the trauma of their physics experience, which might manifest as self-doubt about whether their experience was somehow their fault, experiencing anger because deep down they know it was not.
Departments often attribute the loss of those students—if they notice it at all—to a lack of commitment or ability. In the next round of admissions, the faculty may lament that they aren’t getting enough applications from a diverse enough pool of students.
In my recent study, I describe how some physics instructors are unaware that some students are isolated by their peers. Often, the instructors fail to recognize the isolation that stems from cultural misogyny and racism. Even when they do notice that there is a problem, the instructors struggle to come up with productive ways to make their classrooms fairer and more welcoming for everyone.
The instructors in my study cared about fairness and were often already taking action to make their departments and programs more welcoming and supportive for all students. If you have read this far, you are probably a lot like them. And just like them, you probably are inadvertently doing things that maintain the unfairness. It is what we all do without conscious, intentional, and sustained effort to do otherwise.
Physics departments should take responsibility for how students are treated in their departments... (MORE - missing details)
