Office of Research and Innovation Graduate Assistantship

Overview

This proposal offers a multi-facted strategy to measure and examine the negative effects of persistence on Black students in STEM disciplines. This will occur through a combination of measures and classifications intended to capture the psychological, physiological, and social cost of success through persistence in STEM disciplines. Development of the ability to measure and classify the effects of latent stress and cumulative trauma has implications for the healthy development of student’s physical and mental health wellbeing, and their academic success in STEM. This is an observational study intended to leverage variation between PWIs and predominately Black institutions (PBIs) to examine the psychophysiological and experiential variations resulting from differences in systemic educational demands. This research may be used to develop measurement protocols and establish potential policies designed to improve youth educational and health outcomes.

Project Goals

The purpose of this study is to produce a comprehensive measurement protocol to improve decision making and outcomes related to education by using novel data sources, data integration, and quantify the effects of latent stress and cumulative trauma on successful Black students in hostile educational environments.