A Tale from The Queer Resistance: Activism from with(in) Materials Science

Broader sociopolitical movements toward inclusivity have brought attention to LGBTQIA+ issues in materials science, including the marginalization of LGBTQIA+ materials scientist professionals and students in the field. Previous work on LBGTQ+ students in engineering disciplines highlights the continued struggles for non-straight, non-cisgender people in STEM [1].<br/><br/>In this talk, I [JAY] present my current research in both materials science and engineering education while narrating my interdisciplinary journey straddling two vastly different fields of study. As a cisgender, gay, Asian-American man, my dual existence within both the materials science and engineering education research disciplines has given me unique insights into the nature of science and has substantially informed how I conceptualize equity and inclusivity in materials science.<br/><br/>My materials science work in two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors has shaped a large portion of my professional life. In my graduate studies at Stanford University, I currently study strain engineering 2D materials. With Prof. Eric Pop, my advisor, we have electrically and optically characterized the strain response of monolayer tungsten disulfide and molybdenum disulfide, demonstrating a ~2x improvement in electronic mobility for tungsten disulfide under ~0.3% biaxial tensile strain [2]. While my materials science work continues to satisfy me intellectually, my experimental work has often felt sterile compared to the complexities of my queer experience.<br/><br/>Engineering education research provides systems of thinking that enables me to deconstruct my experiences as an “outsider within” materials science [3]. In a recent study, I explored the experiences of LGBTQ+ undergraduate engineering students with a departmental survey (<i>n </i>= 854 students) and focus groups (<i>n</i> = 10). While the LGBTQ+ students in my study experienced tokenization, misgendering, and social ostracism, they found ways to actively combat these experiences and create their own supportive communities within engineering [4], [5]. With this work, I began to formulate my own understanding of inclusivity in materials science and leverage my position to advocate for queer issues. I continue my engineering education work alongside my materials science work through projects on queerness, race, and privilege in engineering education.<br/><br/>Before entering academia, I thought that my existences as a materials scientist, engineering education researcher, and resident gay were distinct, destined to never intersect. However, I have discovered that science is fundamentally a social endeavor, rife with the complexities of human social interaction. While using cleanroom tools may not directly summon my queerness, how I interact with my colleagues, how I present my work to my group, and how I communicate my work to the scientific community call for me to craft a professional image of myself – one that, for me, is fused with my gay identity.<br/><br/>I contribute my work and my story to argue for two key elements in a vision for inclusivity in materials science: first, to look beyond quantitative metrics for “diversity” and uplift the work that marginalized people are doing to resist systemic inequities, and second, to spark conversations with (queer) social justice scholars outside of materials science, who can provide valuable insight into the equity challenges facing the discipline. Inclusivity rests on recognizing both the existing climate and the agency that queer people hold in materials science and centering marginalized voices in materials science policy. I acknowledge support from the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship for this work.<br/><br/>[1] K. J. Cross <i>et al., Queering STEM Culture in Higher Education </i>(2022).<br/>[2] J. A. Yang, E. Pop <i>et al., </i>arXiv:2309.10939 (2023).<br/>[3] P. H. Collins, <i>Soc. Probl., </i><b>33, </b>s14 (1986).<br/>[4] J. A. Yang <i>et al.,</i> <i>IEEE. Trans. Educ., </i><b>64, </b>345 (2021).<br/>[5] J. A. Yang<i> et al.,</i> <i>J. Women Minor. Sci. Eng., </i><b>27, </b>1 (2021).