Hashtag #ThinkBigDiversity: Social Media Hacking Activities as Hybridized Mentoring Mechanisms for Underrepresented Minorities in STEM

Abstract

and the Professoriate (AGEP), and Co-PI for the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) and Bridge to the Doctorate programs for the USM. Dr. Tull serves on a number of boards for women and diversity in STEM initiatives throughout the US and in Latin America. She is an active member of the Latin and Caribbean Consortium of Engineering Institutions (LACCEI), and co-leads the "Women in STEM" initiatives for the organization. As a former professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, her engineering and speech science research covered topics of accessibility. Her current research in Maryland looks at intersections of social science theories, STEM equity, and physics.

Assessing African American Women Engineers’ Workplace Sentiment within the AI Field

“…Nonetheless, Twitter does alleviate the geographical constraints when building support circles and finding ways to develop self-identity. Twitter is the social media platform of choice for African American women to discuss social, political, and professional issues (Maragh, 2016;Sharma, 2013;Harris & Coleman, 2018;Tull et al, 2017). However, the literature did not include studies exploring any intersectionality between all three areas: AI, Twitter, and African American women engineers.…”

“…Twitter has been used for political awareness, racial discrimination awareness, and social activism through the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter. Tull et al (2017) describe how Twitter was used to devise solutions to improve diversity in technology fields. Tull et al (2017) explains how, in their research, they tracked tweets over a two-day period by using #ThinkBigDiversity.…”

Building and Sustaining Diverse Functioning Networks Using Social Media and Digital Platforms to Improve Diversity and Inclusivity

“…Social media engagement also is immensely useful for promoting "self-reflection, solution-gathering, and peer-mentoring" (Tull et al, 2017). Regarding the latter, engagement in such platforms can develop into recognized mentoring.…”

“…The BlackComputerHER community is actively committed to activities beyond building networks, including advocacy and leadership development. A similar use of the use of #ThinkBigDiversity hashtag for "Hacking Diversity in STEM" to brainstorm solutions to challenges associated with graduate studies for underrepresented STEM scholars and the promotion of diversity using the "Think Big" hackthon concept was initiated by founder Dr. Renetta Tull (@Renetta_Tull) as a part of the Summer Success Institute (SSI) that promotes professional development for diverse STEM graduate students (Tull, 2016;Tull et al, 2017; Table 1). The social media involvement and advocacy of SSI scholars, and others participating and connecting virtually, including through the use of the #ThinkBigDiversity hashtag has become a "tool for engagement and retention" (Tull, 2016).…”

“…The social media involvement and advocacy of SSI scholars, and others participating and connecting virtually, including through the use of the #ThinkBigDiversity hashtag has become a "tool for engagement and retention" (Tull, 2016). Additionally, the associated activities leverage key social science theories related to promoting positive outcomes through communities of critical mass, including through active advocacy to promote an increased sense of belonging and increasing cultural wealth of individuals (Tull et al, 2017).…”