Statement of Solidarity with the Black Lives Matter Movement
The murder of George Floyd, the harassment of Chris Cooper, the loss of countless Black lives. These events have left our nation in turmoil while bringing to the forefront the racial inequalities and injustices so pervasive in America. The ongoing acts of violence against Black Americans are unacceptable.
As educators and researchers, we have a critical role in dismantling the systemic racism that undermines the US education system. We are committed to creating safe spaces for Black students and colleagues to learn and do science. We will do the heavy lifting to address implicit and explicit biases that may exist in the classroom that perpetuate racism and impede the success of our Black students and colleagues. We must do better and be better in identifying and removing the inequities plaguing our community.
NDSU’s STEM Education PhD program and related REU program stand united in solidarity with those who oppose the continued discrimination and racial inequality that plagues America. We support all of our Black students, faculty, and staff. Your lives matter. We see you. We hear you. We support you. We are your ally.
In solidarity,
The STEM Education PhD Program and CiDER REU, including:
Jenni Momsen, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences
Jeff Boyer, Director of Assessment and Accreditation
Katie Wissman, Assistant Professor of Psychology
Mila Kryjevsksaia, Associate Professor of Physics
Lisa Montplaisir, Professor of Biological Sciences
Warren Christensen, Associate Professor of Physics
Stephanie S. Day, Chair and Associate Professor of Geosciences
John B. Buncher, Assistant Professor of Practice of Physics
Danielle Condry, Assistant Professor of Practice of Microbiological Sciences
Alexey Leontyev, Assistant Professor of Chemistry
NDSU is a nucleus for discipline-based education research (DBER) at the undergraduate level. Faculty from Biological Sciences, Chemistry & Biochemistry, Physics, and Mathematics work collaboratively to better understand the nature of student learning within and across STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) disciplines and strive to apply this knowledge to identify, create, and test resources that foster the development of deep conceptual understanding. This interdisciplinary team of faculty is uniquely poised to investigate teaching and learning at the crossroads of the STEM disciplines. Their research contributes to the growing knowledge in several research areas, including Quantitative Reasoning, Visual Thinking, and Scientific Cognition. Prospective students have the opportunity to gain experience in an interdisciplinary context through the STEM Education PhD Program or focus more deeply on understanding aspects of teaching and learning within individual disciplines through PhD programs in multiple departments.
