The project, "Collaborative Research: A Virtual Community of Practice to Promote LGBTQ Inclusion in Engineering," sought to address the challenging climate faced by LGBTQ+ individuals in engineering, aiming to foster more inclusive environments in academic settings. The initiative focused on supporting innovative approaches, researching strategies to empower faculty and staff as change agents, and disseminating successful inclusion strategies.

Stewardship of an LGBTQ-affirming Virtual Community of Practice (VCP).  The project fostered the continuation and growth of an LGBTQ-affirming Virtual Community of Practice as a vehicle for driving change in STEM academic settings. Our 100+ community members included faculty, administrators, and academic staff from various institution types nationwide. They (a) identified approaches appropriate for their department context, (b) shared resources, and (c) supported each other as they developed and implemented action plans to change the climate and promote LGBTQ equality in their own departments. The VCP included members from various STEM fields, extending the project's impact beyond engineering to STEM more broadly. This interdisciplinary collaboration facilitated knowledge exchange and strategies, contributing to a more inclusive STEM community.

Identification of LGBTQ+ Issues in Engineering.  Research for this collaborative project helped advance understanding of the process of developing and supporting a Virtual Community of Practice (VCP), understanding how the community members become change agents by integrating advocacy into their professional identity, and learning what strategies effectively reshape norms and create LGBTQ+ inclusive departments. Systematic analysis of narratives from community members revealed that: (1) LGBTQ+ individuals struggle to find a sense of belonging in STEM; (2) LGBTQ+ individuals in STEM struggle to be visible, to be heard, and to be recognized; (3) finding support is essential for LGBTQ+ individuals to find belonging, to thrive, and to persist in STEM; and (4) LGBTQ+ experiences with exclusion, hostility, and discrimination increase empathy and motivate their work for social change.

Safe Zone Workshop Development and Delivery.  The project systematically developed and refined Safe Zone workshops based on research outcomes and trained over 35 facilitators who are prepared to conduct workshops at their institutions and in their professional societies. The content of the Safe Zone workshops addresses (1) understanding LGBTQ+ concepts and developing awareness of biases; (2) understanding LGBTQ+ issues and recognizing discrimination and heterosexual privilege; and (3) becoming support persons to LGBTQ+ individuals.  Our Safe Zone workshops were developed to emphasize the issues and behaviors likely to be observed and experienced in STEM environments, considering the specific aspects of engineering and STEM culture that serve as barriers to LGBTQ+ inclusion. We hosted over 95 workshops that trained more than 2,300 individuals. Our online Safe Zone workshops brought Safe Zone training to individuals at institutions across the country who do not have access to Safe Zone training in their own workplaces. To support continued impact, the recordings and slides from past online workshops are available to the public at our project website https://lgbtq.asee.org and in the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) course catalog at https://learning.asee.org/course-catalog/.

Dissemination of LGBTQ+ Inclusion Strategies.

Our work was disseminated broadly to various audiences, including STEM academics, higher education diversity professionals, engineering deans, policymakers, and the general public. By sharing these strategies, the project created a ripple effect, encouraging the adoption of LGBTQ+ inclusive practices beyond the original scope of the initiative. These dissemination efforts involved institutional, national, and international outreach. The results were disseminated through online Safe Zone workshops, a toolkit for engineering deans, invited talks, journal articles, and one book. Safe Zone workshops were presented to U.S. STEM audiences through conferences and webinars and to international STEM audiences at two international conferences. By informing LGBTQ+ diversity programs in STEM, this project had a broader impact on society, drawing attention to the contributions that LGBTQ+ professionals make to the vital STEM infrastructure in the U.S. and beyond. At a time when LGBTQ+ rights are being diminished, this sort of recognition is important for challenging stereotypes of LGBTQ+ persons.

The grant outcomes demonstrate progress in promoting LGBTQ+ inclusion in engineering and STEM and advancing the understanding of effective strategies in academic settings. The project's success in disseminating best practices and fostering the growth of a Virtual Community of Practice positions it as a valuable model for addressing broader societal challenges within the STEM landscape. The Safe Zone workshop development further ensures the sustainability and scalability of the project's impact, reaching a nationwide audience of STEM professionals.

Last Modified: 01/19/2024
Modified by: Stephanie Farrell