Unearthing the formative role of equitable geoscience pedagogy for Black women's thriving

Nicollette Mitchell

Though governmental and disciplinary organizations have contributed millions of dollars to the demographic diversification of geoscience education (Callahan et al., 2017; Marin-Spiotta et al., 2020; Wolfe and Riggs, 2017), the geosciences have remained the least racially diverse of all STEM fields (Bernard and Cooperdock, 2018; NCSES, 2025). My research addresses long standing demographic homogeneity within this consequential field by exploring the post-secondary experiences of Black women geoscientists in the United States. Through systematic literature review and qualitative analysis center Black women's educational experiences within geoscience fields, I uplift the formative role of equitable geoscience pedagogy for broadening participation in the field. The design, practice, and analytical contributions of this work provides insights for geoscience educators and researchers who hope to engage in equitable practices and further diversify the field. Furthermore, the interdisciplinary nature of the field, and the acute nature of Black women's underrepresentation there, have implications for STEM fields where Black women are likewise underrepresented.

About Nicollette Mitchell

Nicollette Denise Mitchell recently completed her doctoral degree in Teaching, Learning, and Diversity at Vanderbilt University. There, with the support of a Spencer/NAEd dissertation fellowship, she leveraged qualitative inquiry to explore how Black women become geoscientists and the role of post-secondary pedagogy for intersectional persistence. As a Spencer Research fellow, she will develop additional lines of inquiry concerning Black women' s post secondary geoscience education. Her scholarship is an extension of her unwavering passion for global and institutional climate change and is an homage to the Black Feminist scholars who have shaped her trajectory. While she often reads and writes for the academy, she is a whole person who enjoys spending quality time with her close family and friends.