STEM disciplines in higher education often center and reinforce Western epistemologies and pedagogies, which includes the perception that STEM is objective and not situated in a global context or community. Advancing equity and inclusion in STEM calls for anti-racist pedagogies to reach those students who are marginalized by systems of oppression.

Reimagining the STEM Field: Indigenous Identity and Higher Ed features a conversation between Amanda Tachine (Arizona State University) and Christina Smith (Diné) (Brown University) about the systemic mechanisms that impact Native American student experiences in Higher Education with a specific focus on STEM fields and explores ways of reimagining educational development and departmental programming to better support Indigenous learners. This discussion is a CSREA Faculty Grant Event organized by Dr. Christina Smith, Associate Director for Undergraduate STEM Development at the Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning at Brown University.

Amanda Tachine:

Dr. Amanda R. Tachine is Navajo from Ganado, Arizona. She is Náneesht’ézhí Táchii’nii (Zuni Red Running into Water) born for Tł’ízí łání (Many Goats). She is an Assistant Professor in Educational Leadership & Innovation at Arizona State University. Amanda’s research explores the relationship between systemic and structural histories of settler colonialism and the ongoing erasure of Indigenous presence and belonging in college settings using qualitative Indigenous methodologies. She is the author of Native Presence and Sovereignty in College and co-editor of Weaving an Otherwise: In-relations Methodological Practice. She has published in the Journal of Higher Education, Qualitative Inquiry, International Review of Qualitative Research, International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, and other scholarly outlets. She also has published thought pieces in the Huffington Post, Al Jazeera, The Hill, Teen Vogue, Indian Country Today, Inside Higher Ed, and Navajo Times where she advances ideas regarding discriminatory actions, educational policies, and inspirational movements.

Christina Smith:

Christina Smith (Diné) is the Associate Director for Undergraduate STEM Development at the Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning. She focuses on facilitating undergraduate student development in an effort to provide them with the tools, skills, and resources necessary to heal and self-actualize through their learning. This includes providing ongoing teaching development for undergraduate teaching assistants (UTAs), peer mentors, tutors, etc. as well as directing the Problem Solving Fellows (PSFs) Program. The PSF Program aims to foster a Brown education and culture where student identities are respected, accepted, and uplifted in all learning environments within the University. Recently she has been focusing on how to decolonize the learning environment in an effort to understand how identity, culture, and epistemology within STEM contexts impact student learning and teaching. Christina holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Oregon State University and a B.S. also in Chemical Engineering from the University of Utah.