W8 - Strategies to Decolonize STEM Classrooms

Program Abstract: Strategies to make undergraduate curricula culturally sensitive for persons excluded due to their ethnicity and race from STEM (PEERS) are limited. The task become greater among the LatinX community due to the highly Eurocentric curricula that invisibilise most important accomplishments of Latin American cultures in STEM courses. Consequently, we have implemented a decolonizing 3-day retreat to train STEM students in the interrelation of colonialism, colorism and euro-centrism culture of Science. We also discuss gender inequities, lack of social justice in discriminated communities of color and provided students with anti-racist trainings. The specific strategies to create a culturally-sensitive student community included; (1) dictionary of terms, (2) conferences by senior students on racism, colorism and STEM Eurocentric culture, (3) the walk of privilege and (4) group discussions after reading a paper on colorism in STEM combined with the Color of the skin video from HHMI Bio-interactive.