Academic Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)

Alliance for Applied Research in Education and Anthropology (AAREA), NSF ADVANCE-PAID Grant

My research within AAREA sought to identify the many factors which affect the recruitment, retention, and advancement of women in STEM disciplines. In my work I collected and analyzed higher education data in STEM fields, institutional data on faculty, reviewed relevant literature, and analyzed interview data. Based on the information I collected and studied, I collaborated with alliance team members to create informational materials including presentations, booklets, newsletters, reports, peer-reviewed articles and a book. I also organized events to bring awareness of the challenges faced by academic STEM women to the university community. 

Schooling, Community, and Identity: Adolescent Muslim Girls attending an Islamic School in florida

As the number of Islamic institutions increases in America, the need for greater understanding of the Muslim community, and the challenges faced by this minority, increases as well. My research sought to provide such knowledge by exploring one of these rapidly growing institutions founded and funded by Muslims, private Islamic schools. Absent from media and literature is an understanding of Islamic schools and the experiences of youth as their attendees. My thesis attempts to address this gap through an ethnographic focus of female students at one Islamic school. Data was collected via interviews, focus groups, observation, photo-elicitation interviews and participant observation. This student-centered approach provided qualitative insight on the perspectives of Muslim girls on identity, schooling, and community in order to foster greater understanding of the mission, social function, and practices of Islamic schools.