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Dr. Queshonda Kudaisi serves as proof that Black women are otherworldly! Dr. Kudaisi is a mother of five who defied the odds and even successfully gave birth and attended graduation to receive her Ph.D. and her journey is one that will both shock and inspire you. After testing positive for COVID-19 back in August, Dr. Queshonda Kudaisi wasn’t sure that she nor the baby would survive and even began to consider her options for pushing back her graduation from the University of South Florida. “I thought the baby and I wouldn’t survive, or that I would have to push back my graduation,” she explained via Twitter.
A new study found that Black Ph.D. students in STEM fields were three times less likely to have published a paper in an academic journal than their peers. Researchers at UC Berkeley, UCLA, Stanford and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) explored how personal characteristics—such as race and gender—and preparedness for graduate-level coursework affected their likelihood of being published. The study, titled “Structure and Belonging: Pathways to Success for Underrepresented Minority and Women Ph.D. Students in STEM Fields,” showed that Black STEM scholars published at significantly lower rates than their counterparts—including other underrepresented students—due to perceived readiness, feelings of belonging, and perceptions of program structure. Of the 430 students found most likely to publish academic papers, white, Asian, Latinx and Native American students published at nearly equal rates. “Our study strongly indicates that the onus should not fall on minority students...