2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This research explored the question: what are the experiences with community engaged research among foreign-born women academics in STEM. The work draws attention to the benefits of immigration in bringing individuals who make important societal contributions, including by helping minoritized groups and marginalized communities in the U.S. and beyond. Previous research has documented that civic engagement helps immigrants integrate into their new country and fight discrimination. In the current research, which is embedded within a larger study, interviews were conducted with 13 women with doctoral degrees in STEM. All five of the women born outside of the U.S. discussed their community engaged research. Having a background in at least two cultures provides these women with skills in discerning cultural nuances in different community settings. This cultural sensitivity is an important skill when engaging in partnerships with communities. Some of the foreign-born academics also possessed socioeconomic backgrounds that allowed them to readily empathize with marginalized groups in the U.S. The research achievements of these women made positive contributions to the health, safety, and welfare of local communities near their university and other communities in the U.S. and abroad. Stories of these successes and some of their challenges are shared in the paper.