A&M-Commerce Professor Co-Authors Research on Supporting Women and People of Color in Physics

Dr. Robynne Lock, associate professor of physics and astronomy at A&M-Commerce, is co-author of a paper focusing on the effectiveness of interventions designed to inspire high school students—particularly women and minoritized groups—to pursue physics-related careers. Lock is a founding member of STEP UP, the National Science Foundation-funded project that developed the interventions.

The research demonstrates that counternarrative lesson plans about “who does physics and why one does physics” can significantly increase students' interest in physics as a career path. The lesson plans discussed women's underrepresentation in physics and exposed students to physics career opportunities through the profiles of successful women and people of color in the field.

The paper is published in the Physical Review Physics Education Research journal. More information about Lock's work is available through the Department of Physics and Astronomy at A&M-Commerce.