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AbstractChemistry identity can be defined as a feeling of belonging in chemistry, which intersects with various aspects of an individual’s identity. These aspects can include race, gender, and socioeconomic status. In recent years, there has been a surge in attempts to close the gender gap between male and female students using mainstream tools to cultivate positive STEM identities in female students. This cultivation has focused heavily on increasing the number of females but has often neglected those that identify outside of the gender binary. This suggests that neither educators nor students know how to empower a nonbinary student’s sense of belonging in chemistry. FellowshipI was first introduced to Chemistry Education Research through Dr. Carmel and he advised me throughout this project. While the main focus of this research will be on chemistry education, the findings of this can be compared to the identities of nonbinary students through future research projects conducted in other STEM fields, such as physics and biology as well as the research being done in FIU’s STEM Transformation Institute. Furthermore, this project is interdisciplinary, as the active inclusion of nonbinary students in STEM and LGBT+ rights within the classroom is extremely relevant to the women and gender studies field. All of these factors made my research project a good candidate to apply and become a 2021-2022 GLM Research Fellow.
FURCI presented at the 2022 FURC (Florida Undergraduate Reasearch Conference) that was held at UCF that year. I got a chance to meet the other GL Fellows and FIU students as well as students from all over Florida. I got such great feedback on my poster and a lot of people were happy to see such an inclusive project. It was such a great experience to be able to travel to another university and converse with peers from all over. I'm so grateful to my fellowship for funding this opportunity!
URFIUI was able to present at URFIU right on our home turf! It was so great to see my peers presenting their research and get feedback from faculty I knew. It was such a supportive environment, and I was lucky enough to be presenting during the same poster session. I am so grateful to FIU for creating such a supportive environment that encourages all of their students to be involved on campus and pursue their passions.
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