Research & Funding

Collaborative Research: A qualitative inquiry into sex/gender narratives in undergraduate biology and their impacts on transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming students

PI: A. Kelly Lane

NSF EHR:ECR Award: 2201809

Link

$387,605

Gender inequities have been regularly identified in biology education; however, students whose identities do not fit into the inaccurate gender binary have oft been overlooked in studies of gender inequity in biology. A key cause of these inequities is the concept of gender essentialism, the belief that genders, and gender roles, are natural, biologically derived categories: that there is a “natural essence” of femaleness or maleness influencing behaviors and proficiencies. Gender essentialism can impact students of all genders in variety of ways including 1) promoting stereotypes of all genders especially of women, trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming students, 2) inhibiting students from accurately learning biology concepts, and 3) disregarding the lived experiences of gender diverse students. In collaboration with Dr. Aramati Casper at University of Colorado- Boulder and Dr. Sarah Eddy at Florida International University, we are investigating how gender diverse students experience biology content focused on sex and gender, how faculty teach sex and gender, and what factors co-vary with faculty understanding of the required nuance to accurately teach sex and gender. 

Developing an Assessment to Address Undergraduate Biology Student Understanding of Genetics and Race

PI: A. Kelly Lane; Co-PI: Kristina Prescott & Katie Furniss

 NSF IUSE Award: 2141979

Link

$299,736


The aim of this project is to explore introductory biology students' beliefs surrounding genetics and race. The end result will be an assessment that instructors can use to see if their methods of teaching genetics reinforce or combat inaccurate ideas about race. In addition, we will be testing a hypothesis that understanding certain genetics concepts is correlated with more accurate understandings of why race is not biological. 

The Minnesota IRACDA Program

Co-PIs: David Greenstein and Kirstin Nielsen

A. Kelly Lane is a Co-investigator

NIH IRACDA Award

Link

~$3.4 million

NIH IRACDA Program is a training grant for programs to support postdoctoral scholars in biomedical research and education. We recruit postdoctoral scholars from backgrounds that have been historically excluded from STEM research. The scholars then conduct cutting edge biomedical research, receive pedagogical training, and gain experience teaching at two teaching-intensive institutions: Normandale Community College and North Hennepin Community College. 

Projects related to graduate education and mentorship