Faculty and Staff Fellows

• Ravi Ghadge and Katherine White

  

  

  Study to Assess the Racial and Ethnic Experiences at KSU

  Our project uses both qualitative and quantitative methods to assess the racial and ethnic experiences of students, faculty, and staff of color on the two KSU campuses. Findings will be used to identify potential problem areas and provide concrete recommendations for improvement. 

• Jason Rhodes

  

  The KSU Food Forest: Building Bridges Between Communities Through Sustainable Urban Agriculture 

  The KSU Food Forest, currently under development on 1/3 of an acre at the KSU Field Station, aims to serve as a demonstration of the potential of food forest systems to mitigate climate change through carbon sequestration, increase water resilience, and promote food security.  The KSU Food Forest also aims to build community across lines of race and class, and improve Atlanta's food system, by working with residents in food insecure Atlanta neighborhoods to design and implement small-scale food forests in their communities, while developing the math, environmental science, and agroforestry skills necessary to do so.  This project will employ two KSU undergraduate interns to help develop a curriculum that connects the 9th grade Georgia standards for math and environmental science to the hands-on project of designing and planting a food forest.  This curriculum will be taught to a pilot group of Atlanta 9th grade students in Spring, 2021, with training in sustainable urban agriculture to take place at the KSU Field Station.  The curriculum, and analysis of its impact on student learning, will be published for broader dissemination, and further grant funds will be sought to teach the curriculum to a larger group of Atlanta high school students in in 2021-2022.  

• Sadé Tramble

  

  Progression and Retention of Black Female Students in STEM Majors at a PWI

  The purpose of this study is to learn about Black female students experiences in STEM majors at a PWI, how Black female student utilize student support services to persist in STEM majors at a PWI and how Black female students sense of belonging is impacted by student support services at a PWI.

• Afekwo Mary Ukuku

  

  The Empowered Measures Project

  The Empowered Measures Project will have the unique opportunity to explore the aspects of the lived experiences of people of color on human flourishing, and the social connection. The development and evaluation of innovative, culturally appropriate, and effective strategies to prevent health inequalities are critical. Interventions should target prominent influences in a person’s life. Therefore, the goal of the proposed project is to gain a greater understanding of how perceived racism and discrimination influence health behavior. More specifically, the researchers seek to understand the impact of racism on health behavior and decision-making. In addition, the project aims to encourage faculty, staff, and students to apply perceived and implicit measures of oppressions to their research studies. With the increased attention of underlining health disparities and inequities affecting people of color, this is a timely project. With increased awareness, it will be essential to educate others on how to apply these measures across disciplines.

  Final Report – In the process of completing IRB application. IRB application will be submitted by Oct. 30th

• Dr. Roneisha Worthy

  

  Faculty Women of Color in Engineering: A Phenomenological Study at KSU 

  The goal of this research is to assist faculty in the College of Engineering with understanding the underrepresented demographic of women of color in engineering. The purpose is to not only fill the gap in the literature concerning women of color in the academic engineering field but to also use the findings as a baseline to provide tangible strategies engineering programs can utilize to attract and retain women of color. Three work products will be produced: (1) The development of inclusion programming to assist in the creation of cultural competencies and awareness among faculty and staff; (2) Dissemination of results in peer-reviewed publications like the Journal of Engineering Education or similar, and (3) Development of female student circles to inspire the next generation of women in academia.