Recruiting, Retaining, and Advancing Women in STEM at an HBCU:A Model for Institutional Transformation

Women, especially women of color (WOC), STEM faculty are underrepresented in full professor and leadership positions and overrepresented in non-tenure track positions. It is essential to develop organizational-level approaches which foster equitable and sustainable practices that lead to the success of women STEM faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The purpose of this paper is to share a model for institutional transformation focusing on recruitment, retention, and advancement of women STEM faculty. We describe our approaches, outcomes, challenges, successes, and lessons learned to serve as a model for other institutions. In order to transform our institution, we focused on changes in policy, practice, and programming. Several approaches were implemented to increase the number of women STEM faculty and position them for leadership opportunities. Our outcomes demonstrate that by implementing multi-faceted strategies we have successfully moved the needle for institutional transformation

Narratives of Black Women STEM Faculty: Breaking Barriers to Promote Institutional Transformation at Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Women faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), experience many barriers. HBCUs’ rich histories of advancing racial equity have often outweighed a focus on gender equity, with issues at the intersection of race and gender receiving minimal attention. This study highlights the need for institutional transformation at HBCUs by identifying the structural factors that promote and inhibit Black women STEM faculty advancement. Interviews (n=15) were conducted with HBCU Black women STEM faculty using the Life Interview approach. The three major themes related to barriers included: (a) greater likelihood of having their expertise questioned, (b) increased pressure to work harder, and (c) sexism, racism, and gendered racism. This study expands upon existing research in the literature by focusing on an understudied population, Black women STEM faculty at HBCUs. Findings suggest that to advance institutional transformation diversity, equity, and inclusion goals, colleges and universities must establish infrastructures that include supports of benefit to the professional advancement of all faculty

Microplastics in landfill leachate: Sources, detection, occurrence, and removal

Due to the accumulation of an enormous amount of plastic waste from municipal and industrial sources in landfills, landfill leachate is becoming a significant reservoir of microplastics. The release of microplastics from landfill leachate into the environment can have undesirable effects on humans and biota. This study provides the state of the science regarding the source, detection, occurrence, and remediation of microplastics in landfill leachate based on a comprehensive review of the scientific literature, mostly in the recent decade. Solid waste and wastewater treatment residue are the primary sources of microplastics in landfill leachate. Microplastic concentration in raw and treated landfill leachate varied between 0–382 and 0–2.7 items L−1. Microplastics in raw landfill leachate are largely attributable to local plastic waste production and solid waste management practices. Polyethylene, polystyrene, and polypropylene are the most prevalent microplastic polymers in landfill leachate. Even though the colors of microplastics are primarily determined by their parent plastic waste, the predominance of light-colored microplastics in landfill leachate indicates long-term degradation. The identified morphologies of microplastics in leachate from all published sources contain fiber and fragments the most. Depending on the treatment method, leachate treatment processes can achieve microplastic removal rates between 3% and 100%. The review also provides unique perspectives on microplastics in landfill leachate in terms of remediation, final disposal, fate and transport among engineering systems, and source reduction, etc. The landfill–wastewater treatment plant loop and bioreactor landfills present unique difficulties and opportunities for managing microplastics induced by landfill leachate

Sources, Occurrence, and Removal of Microplastic/Nanoplastic in landfill leachate: A Comprehensive Review

Due to a massive amount of plastic waste from municipal and industrial sources accumulates in landfills, landfill leachate is becoming a significant reservoir of microplastic (MPs)/ Nanoplastics (NPs), and MPs/NPs in landfill leachate released to the environment can pose detrimental effects on humans and biota. This study critically reviewed most available up-to-date scientific literature on MPs/NPs in landfill leachate and provides the state-of-the-science regarding their detection and quantification, occurrence and characteristics, and remediation. MPs/NPs in landfill leachate can be classified into primary source that is in micro- or nano- scale when manufactured, and secondary source that is made as regular sized plastic but fragmented in to micro- or nano- scale in landfills. In the global scale, the concentration of MPs/NPs in raw and treated landfill leachate varied between 0-382 item/L and 0-2.7 item/L, respectively. Occurrence of MPs/NPs in raw landfill leachate is largely related to the local plastic waste production and solid waste management practice. Among all types of polymers, low-density and high-density polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS), polypropylene (PP), are the four most abundant MPs/NPs polymers in landfill leachate worldwide. Though the color of MPs/NPs primarily depends on their parent plastic waste, the dominance of light color in MPs/NPs in leachate is a sign of long-term degradation in landfills. The identified morphologies of MPs/NPs in leachate from all literatures have the highest abundance of fiber and fragments. Depending on the treatment technique, leachate treatment processes can achieve removal rate from 3 to 100% for MPs/NPs. Also, the critical review provides unique perspectives for MPs/NPs in landfill leachate regarding remediation, ultimate disposal, fate and transport among engineering systems, standardized detection methods, source reduction, etc. The landfill-WWTP loop and bioreactor landfills create unique challenges and opportunities for the management of landfill leachate induced MPs/NPs

Evaluation of the Effects of Chemically Enhanced Primary Treatment on Landfill Leachate and Sewage Co-treatment in Publicly Owned Treatment Works

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of CEPT for leachate and sewage co-treatment in a POTW. The results showed that ferric and aluminum coagulants remove about 54 - 74% organic matter where ferric performed better than aluminum coagulant. However, ferric coagulant was found to exacerbate the UV absorbance after coagulation at high dose due to the interaction with dissolved organic matter by forming soluble transition metal complexes. These organo-metal complexes have been found to increase the UV absorbance and this study provides the scientific background for such phenomenon.<br /

Intersectional Engineers: Diversity of Gender and Race Microaggressions and Their Effects in Engineering Education

Underrepresented minorities in engineering regularly experience subtle behaviors or statements that denigrate them on account of their race, ethnicity, gender, or other identity. Engineering students cite these behaviors, known as microaggressions, as reasons for having considered changing majors or leaving college altogether. Despite the recent research trend to foster a more racially, ethnically, and gender-inclusive engineering education and profession, previous research does not examine microaggressions in engineering using an intersectional lens. Without an intersectional perspective, intragroup diversity is overlooked, increasing the potential to reinforce broad racial and gender stereotypes. To measure the effects of microaggressions among engineering undergraduate students, the current study used an intersectional approach and collected data from a predominantly white institution (PWI) and from a historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The authors conducted individual semistructured interviews to examine the effects of microaggressions among 42 engineering undergraduate students, who can be categorized into seven intersectional identities—White women, African American men, African American women, Asian men, Asian women, Latino men, and Latina women. Results showed five macroeffects and two microeffects—(1) reduced self-belief (reduced self-efficacy and reduced self-esteem), (2) otherness, (3) racial/gender isolation, (4) stereotype threat, and (5) and empowered sense of self. Also, in this work, we make comparisons across intersectional identities. The data provide support for further study of microaggressions and their effects on intersectional identities. This research extends the intersectional approach to focus on engineering departments and colleges and provides information to engineering departments and university administrators concerning the experiences of minority undergraduates and offers academic leaders further information regarding issues surrounding minority student retention and persistence.This is a manuscript of the article Published as True-Funk, Arielle, Cristina Poleacovschi, Gloria Jones-Johnson, Scott Feinstein, Kalynda Smith, and Stephanie Luster-Teasley. "Intersectional engineers: Diversity of gender and race microaggressions and their effects in engineering education." Journal of Management in Engineering 37, no. 3 (2021): 04021002. doi: https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000889. © 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers