Podcast: Supporting and empowering STEM students in community college

SRI’s Andrea Beesley and Carol Tate discuss a national initiative aimed at supporting underrepresented students

SRI’s Andrea Beesley and Carol Tate discuss a national initiative aimed at supporting underrepresented students.


Over the past two decades, the number of STEM graduates has doubled. Yet diversity in STEM remains a challenge, with underrepresented students facing barriers to entry and advancement.

In this episode of The SRI Homeroom podcast, host Jenna Nguyen talks with education researchers Andrea Beesley and Carol Tate from SRI about the work being done to foster diversity and inclusion in postsecondary STEM education.

Beesley and Tate discuss the ongoing efforts and findings from the STEM Core Expansion Alliance, a project funded by the National Science Foundation’s Eddie Bernice Johnson INCLUDES National Network. The initiative is aimed at supporting low-income, first-generation, and underrepresented community college students pursuing STEM careers.

Explore how community support and equitable access to education play crucial roles in addressing challenges and driving success in STEM initiatives.

Listen to the full episode:

Get the transcript.

Learn more about how the STEM Core Expansion Alliance is advancing STEM education for underrepresented students by visiting the STEM Core Expansion Alliance website.

Discover how the NSF Eddie Bernice Johnson INCLUDES National Network fosters collaboration and builds scalable, equitable STEM networks by visiting the NSF INCLUDES National Network.

Andrea D. Beesley is a Senior Principal Education Researcher with SRI Education. She specializes in studying math learning environments and creating supportive spaces for STEM education. Learn more about Andrea and her work here.

Carol E. Tate is a Senior Education Researcher with SRI Education, specializing in design, research, and evaluation projects aimed at enhancing teaching quality in STEM fields from elementary school through college. Learn more about Carol and her work here.

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