College Tools Spotlight Women in Microbiology

Students' perceptions of "what a scientist looks like" are shaped early in life by media depictions, which have significantly fewer representations of female and/or scientists from minoritized groups. These perceptions are supported or dispelled by personal experiences throughout their lifetimes. In college, a continuing lack of diverse faculty representation within science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) classes reinforces for students these notions of who "looks like a scientist." It is essential to ensure there is robust representation in science. Representation demonstrates a level of accessibility to the field and shows that STEM is accessible and welcoming to everyone. STEM is about solving complex problems, and the more diverse experiences and perspectives in STEM the stronger the chance for everyone to benefit from scientific impact.

The gap in representation within the classroom and across the media often leads to students having difficulty envisioning themselves as a scientist if they do not fit the presented mold. It is important for STEM instructors to address such representation gaps so that all students pursuing STEM can see themselves as a scientist. Intentionally incorporating classroom resources that identify STEM role models from diverse backgrounds can foster a sense of belonging and develop a strong STEM identity, which has been shown to enhance students' performance throughout their academic careers.

Among students who identify as women, a greater sense of belonging is associated with greater persistence in STEM fields. Classroom interventions to increase access to female role models improve the academic performance of women in STEM majors. This persistence is key to maintaining gender diversity in the STEM workforce.

Increasing diversity in STEM benefits all members of our community. Studies have found that more diverse research teams often have greater scientific output and produce higher-impact work. Research teams with greater gender diversity are associated with greater collective problem-solving ability, more effective utilization of individual skillsets and the development of novel research questions-ensuring that we have a robust STEM workforce ready to solve the complex problems of our world.

Here, resources are curated for microbiology educators at colleges to incorporate into their classrooms for teaching about women and their intersecting identities in microbiology and related STEM fields. Intersectionality is especially critical when incorporating these resources into curricula, as women of other diverse identities (i.e., women of color, women with disabilities, women with queer identities) walk through life as more than just their gender.

Special Topics Classes for Discussing Disparities in STEM Fields

Upper-level elective and seminar courses are relevant venues for student discussions on social factors that contribute to disparities in STEM fields. In the article "An Undergraduate Elective Course That Introduces Topics of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion into Discussions of Science" describes an elective undergraduate course that includes topics, such as perceptions of women in scientific fields and challenges faced by professional women scientists. Useful readings for these courses might include reviews and analyses on the challenges faced by women microbiologists and the barriers to their career advancement. For example:

• "Women Are Underrepresented and Receive Differential Outcomes at ASM Journals: a Six-Year Retrospective Analysis."
• "Challenges of female microbial ecologists at different stages of their academic life: a Mexican perspective."
• "Why aren't women choosing STEM academic jobs? Observations from a small-group discussion at the 2016 American Society for Microbiology annual meeting."
• "Does Gender Bias Still Affect Women in Science?"

Highlighting Historical Women Scientists

Historical contributions to the life sciences are often highlighted in college classes. Yet, women, especially women of color, are often excluded from these descriptions. The resources collected below highlight women with diverse intersecting identities and their contributions to microbiology and adjacent fields. They can be incorporated into typical class lectures or as reading assignments for students.

• Women in Microbiology highlights both historical figures and modern researchers. Among the women highlighted are mothers, Black women and a Latin American woman.
• "Iconic Black Women in the History of Microbiology Research" celebrates Black women researchers in history, as well as contemporary researchers.
• "Women in the History of Antimicrobial Development" highlights the role of women researchers in the development of antimicrobial compounds. Black women and a woman with a disability are also featured.
• Ruth E. Moore, Ph.D. was a Black microbiologist with a long career as a professor at Howard University. This article highlights her journey from growing up in Ohio to pursuing a Ph.D. in bacteriology to her extensive contributions to college education while at Howard University.
• Alice Evans, M.S. was the first woman to serve as the president of ASM. This article highlights her journey from rural Pennsylvania to a thriving career researching livestock disease.
• Esther Lederberg, Ph.D. made numerous fundamental contributions to the field of microbial genetics. This article provides a biographical overview of Lederberg, highlighting her contributions to science that included the discovery of lambda phage, F plasmids and transduction, as well as the development of the replica plating technique.

The following resources describe how to most effectively incorporate these historical figures into science classrooms:

• "Making Biology Learning Relevant to Students: Integrating People, History, and Context into College Biology Teaching" provides practical suggestions on incorporating history and historical figures into college biology classrooms.
• "How Not to Teach History in Science" highlights common pitfalls that educators encounter when attempting to teach about history in science.
• "Words of Advice: teaching enzyme kinetics" provides an excellent example of how lecture topics in biology classes can be placed within a historical context, highlighting diverse researchers contributing to the field. In the example given in the article, the contributions of Maud Menten, Maria Manaseina and Elizabeth Fulhame can be used to enrich introductory enzymology lectures.

Scientist Spotlights

Development of a science identity is crucial to cultivating a sense of belonging among women and other historically marginalized groups in STEM classrooms. However, with course materials often lacking depictions of diverse scientists, and a lack of diversity among the faculty teaching these courses, many students pursuing STEM degrees do not see themselves represented in these fields. This discrepancy creates a barrier to the development of a sense of belonging in STEM academic spaces. Relatively simple curricular interventions, such as Scientist Spotlights, have been shown to increase the relatability of scientists among students from diverse backgrounds. Scientist Spotlights are curriculum supplements used to introduce students to counter-stereotypical examples of scientists. Spotlights may be assigned as out-of-class homework assignments with an associated writing component. These contemporary researchers can also be highlighted in the context of a topic relevant to their research, thus allowing students to appreciate the direct applications of course material.

The following resources describe different strategies for implementing Scientist Spotlight activities in the classroom.

• "Scientist Spotlight Homework Assignments Shift Students' Stereotypes of Scientists and Enhance Science Identity in a Diverse Introductory Science Class." This study discusses integrating many Scientist Spotlight assignments into an introductory biology class. The Scientist Spotlights Initiative website was created to curate Scientist Spotlights, readings on the scientist's research and associated homework questions. This resource is free to registered users.
• "'No matter what your story is, there is a place for you in science': Students' Ability to Relate to Scientists Positively Shifts after Scientist Spotlight Assignments, Especially for First-Generation Students and Women." This study discusses integrating a small number of Scientist Spotlight assignments into an introductory biology class.
• "Scientist Spotlights: Online assignments to promote inclusion in Ecology and Evolution." This study describes how Scientist Spotlight exercises can be utilized in online classes.

Other educators have developed creative modifications of the Scientist Spotlight exercise:

• "Student-Authored Scientist Spotlights: Investigating the Impacts of Engaging Undergraduates as Developers of Inclusive Curriculum through a Service-Learning Course." In this study, undergraduate students led curriculum reform via an upper-division service-learning class for biology students. These students partnered with instructors in the department to author Scientist Spotlights for the instructors' biology classes. The biology instructors then implemented these student-authored scientist spotlights in their classes.
• "In a 'Scientist Spotlight' Intervention, Diverse Student Identities Matter." In this study, podcast episodes from Story Collider are used for Scientist Spotlights in a nonmajors introductory biology course.
• "Using a Student-Generated Mock Magazine Issue To Improve Students' Awareness of Diverse Scientists." Students in a genetics laboratory course were assigned diverse geneticists to read about. Afterwards, students worked in teams to create a mock magazine highlighting these researchers.

Women Microbiologists Spotlight Articles From ASM

"ASM's Focus on Women Microbiologists" page provides many resources for learning about women microbiologists, including numerous spotlights on women microbiologists. Several are highlighted below:

• Carla Bonilla, Ph.D. Research Area: genetics of bacterial stress response. Intersecting Identities Discussed: Salvadorean, immigrant, Latina.
• Aisha Burton, Ph.D. Research Area: molecular genetics of bacterial stress responses. Intersecting Identities Discussed: Black.
• Candace Cole, Ph.D. Research Area: foodborne disease. Intersecting Identities Discussed: Mexican American, Lesbian.
• Nicole Jiménez, Ph.D. Research Area: vaginal microbiome. Intersecting Identities Discussed: Hispanic.
• Juliet Johnston, Ph.D. Research Area: wastewater microbiology. Intersecting Identities Discussed: queer, pansexual, transgender, nonbinary, polyamorous.
• Mo Kaze, Ph.D. Research Area: microorganisms in engineered systems. Intersecting Identities Discussed: LGBTQIA+.
• Rebecca Pollet, Ph.D. Research Area: carbohydrate degradation in the gut microbiome. Intersecting Identities Discussed: Cherokee Nation citizen, first-generation college student.
• Jyothi Rengar, Ph.D. Research Area: Immune responses during tuberculosis. Intersecting Identities Discussed: Indian.
• Chelsey Spriggs, Ph.D. Research Area: oncogenic virus-host interactions. Intersecting Identities Discussed: Black.

ASM Podcast Episodes Highlighting Women Microbiologists

Podcast episodes are a great way to hear about the stories of scientists in their own words for Scientist Spotlight exercises. Episodes featuring women from ASM's "microTalk" and "Meet the Microbiologist" podcasts are highlighted below. Another great source of microbiology podcasts is "Matters Microbial" by Mark O. Martin, Ph.D., which has nearly 40 episodes featuring diverse women microbiologists discussing their research and journeys through academia, and features microbiologists from a range of subfields and across career stages.

microTalk-Hosted by Karl Klose, Ph.D.

• Christine Marie George, Ph.D.: public health; cholera prevention.
• Kat Milligan-Myhre, Ph.D.: experiences as an Alaska Native; host-microbe interactions in fish.
• Karine Gibbs, Ph.D.: urinary tract infections; Proteus mirabilis interactions within the human microbiome.
• Mary Weber, Ph.D.: Chlamydia trachomatis.
• Karla Satchell, Ph.D.: flesh-eating vibrios.
• Joan Bennett, Ph.D.: women in microbiology; fungal secondary metabolites.
• Kate Rubins, Ph.D.: microbiome of the International Space Station.
• Stacey Gilk, Ph.D.: Q Fever.
• Rachel Dutton, Ph.D.: cheese microbiomes.

Meet the Microbiologist-Hosted by Ashley Hagen, M.S.

• Jessica Lee, Ph.D.: space microbiology, microbial food production in space.
• Robin Patel, M.D.: metagenomes of prosthetic joint infections.
• Marylynn Yates, Ph.D.: waterborne pathogens in urban waterways.
• Erica Ollmann Saphire, Ph.D.: Ebola virus glycoprotein.
• Christine Foreman, Ph.D.: glacial microbiology.
• Barbara Han, Ph.D.: predicting disease outbreaks.
• Bobbi Pritt, M.D.: parasitology and human health.
• Julie Villanueva, Ph.D.: infrastructure for responding to biothreats and emerging infectious disease.
• Graciela Lorca, Ph.D.: citrus greening disease; the role of the microbiome in diabetes.
• Kate Howell, Ph.D.: microbial contributions to the flavor and aroma of food and beverages.
• Maria Eugenia Inda-Webb, Ph.D.: biosensors to diagnose inflammatory disorders of the gut.
• Aureliana Chambal, M.S.: Tuberculosis surveillance in Mozambique.
• Nicole Dubilier, Ph.D.: microbial symbioses at hydrothermal vents.
• Ami Bhat, M.D., Ph.D.: diversity in the human gut microbiome.
• Amy Mathers, M.D.: drug-resistant bacteria in hospital sinks.
• Colleen Kraft, M.D.: Clostridioides difficile infection diagnostics.
• Deb Hogan, Ph.D.: interkingdom interactions during a polymicrobial infection.
• Mary Estes, Ph.D.: viral gastroenteritis.
• Carolyn Coyne, Ph.D.: placental immunity and infection.
• Linda Kinkel, Ph.D.: plant-microbe interactions in protection against infectious disease.
• Denise Akob, Ph.D.: geomicrobiology of contaminated and pristine environments.
• Rita Colwell, Ph.D.: Vibrio cholerae in the environment.
• Mallory Choudoir, Ph.D.: microbial responses to warming climate.

Highlighting the contributions of women in microbiology in the classroom is essential for fostering a more diverse and inclusive scientific community. By utilizing the resources highlighted here, educators can create a classroom environment where students from diverse backgrounds and perspectives are inspired to see themselves as scientists.