WELLESLEY, MA—Understanding students’ identity formation in relation to science is essential if we are to understand how and in what ways many women and people of color continue to exclude themselves/are excluded from pursuing careers in the “hard sciences.” Urban high school students’ talk (through stories, descriptions, accounts) of their experiences in school science classes can provide us with important insights into how they are thinking about, developing, and presenting their identities in relation to science. Using data excerpts from the Success in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (SISTEM) Projects’ first year student interviews, Postdoctoral Research Scholar Corinne McKamey will demonstrate and involve audience members in using discourse analysis techniques to examine how students present and construct themselves in regards to science.

Lunchtime Seminar Series programs are free and open to the public. Held Thursdays from 12:30 to 1:30 in the Cheever House Library, the seminars highlight the work of Wellesley Centers for Women researchers and program staff. For more information, call 781.283.2500 or visit www.wcwonline.org.  

For 35 years, scholars from the Wellesley Centers for Women (WCW) at Wellesley College have helped drive positive social change through their social science research projects and training programs. Work at WCW addresses three major areas: the status of women and girls and the advancement of their human rights both in the United States and around the globe; the education, care, and development of children and youth; and the emotional well-being of families and individuals. Issues of diversity and equity are central across all the work as are the experiences and perspectives of women from a variety of backgrounds and cultures.