Dismantling structural barriers to participation in physics

Abstract: Unequal distribution of economic and educational resources is strongly linked to disparate educational, financial, and health outcomes between those with and without access to these resources. This is true worldwide, but is particularly pronounced in the United States, where this unequal distribution of resources is structural because of the decentralized nature of the public educational system and is strongly tied to the deliberate exclusion of minoritized racial groups. Physics, as a piece of this educational system and one that is an important gateway to careers in science and engineering, plays an important role in maintaining (or exacerbating) educational inequalities. In this talk, I will present a comprehensive case study of a public institution in the United States which uses institutional and course-level quantitative data, as well as qualitative data, to illustrate the extent to which physics can play a role in perpetuating these inequalities. I will also present promising results from a comprehensive redesign of physics 1 at this same university, which drew on theories of cognition and learning, that offered opportunities for students who lacked access to high quality secondary education to be successful. Despite the promise of this intervention, it only addresses educational inequalities at the local level. I will also present the design of a future study to be conducted in South America which aims to revolutionize access to high-quality physics education across an entire nation.

Biography: Dr. Eric Burkholder is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics at Auburn University studying Physics Education Research (PER). Eric received his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology, where he studied the physics of active soft matter. He then transitioned to PER during a postdoctoral appointment at Stanford University. Eric leads a research group comprised of biologists, engineers, and physicists working together to study physics education as part of a complex system, focusing on disciplinary structures, models and assessments of cognition, and inclusion.