Dr. Diane Fuselier-Thompson is an Assistant Professor of Teaching in the School of Social Work. 

Main Discipline(s):

Main Professional Societies:

Affiliation(s):

  • Clinical Social Work Practice
  • Behavioral Health-Children/Adults/Families
  • National Association of Social Workers
  • American Educational Research Association
Assistant Professor of Teaching, School of Social Work 
What are your undergraduate and graduate degrees in and from where?
I received both my BA and MSW from the University of Michigan. My doctoral degree was awarded from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign.
Give a brief summary (250 words or less) of your current area of research.
My current area of research focuses on understanding the formal and informal networks in underserved communities that support STEM learning and to identify the role of social work practitioners in assisting students in the transition from their community to college campuses. Even large urban campuses like WSU, often do not reflect the demographics of a student’s predominantly minority community and this life stage may require support to improve retention in STEM.
How did you arrive at your current area of research?
While recruiting for a large research institution, I was always struck by seeing the same few minority women at each of the respective STEM conferences. My institution and others were in competition to recruit and bring to our institution these talented young minority students to pursue the latest and greatest research innovations. However, I was always questioning why weren’t there more minorities (and specifically women) in STEM and what were the barriers in attracting more minority women in STEM? 

 

In addition to recruiting undergraduate students, I became the Trustee and eventually VP and President of a local Charter school that focuses on a STEM curriculum. We grew the school to include Pre-K through 12 grade to grow a pipeline of STEM prepared students. The school is predominantly minority serving and more than 90% of the students are at or below the poverty line.

 

My recruitment experience challenged me to identify more students from underserved communities and to remove barriers preventing their progress in STEM fields. I think we were able to do that to some extent at the Charter school and through college partnerships provide the students the opportunity to graduate with both a high school diploma and Associates degree.

 

Most of the quantitative research focuses on shear numbers of minority women, who pursue STEM fields of study and do not persist or ‘stop out’ into another field of study. My qualitative research focuses on the ‘lived experiences’ of minority women who pursue STEM and their experiences making the transition from their predominantly minority community into a Predominantly White Institution (PWI).

What do you see as a current emerging area of research that you would like to participate in and why?
(I would like to assemble) an amazing interdisciplinary team that supports students on their academic trajectory crossing the boundaries from their community into college. More to come.
Tell us your (one) favorite STEM research paper or book.   Why it is your favorite?
Swimming Against the Tide by Sandra L. Hanson. This book is one of my favorites because it speaks to how girls who want to pursue STEM face considerable peer pressure, among other obstacles in their community and larger STEM community The book inspired me to address barriers facing girls who want to pursue STEM and to make it ‘cool’ to do so.
Do you have a favorite scientist, engineer or other role model? Who is it and why?
Katherine Johnson (the NASA mathematician and inspiration for the film, Hidden Figures) is truly an iconic figure among role models in the STEM fields of study. I knew about her life story long before a movie was written about her.

Also, (the) local engineers from Southwest Detroit who participated in the Mexican American Partnership under my leadership are special people. These students are engineers who are bilingual, studied in Mexico, and currently are employed all over the world as a result of our corporate sponsorship from Ford Motor Company and General Motors. These students exemplify what can happen when you invest in students from marginalized communities.

What do you do for fun outside of your role as a woman in STEM?
I truly enjoy domestic and international travel and learning about other cultures. I enjoy long walks and gardening when home.

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