Resources for Inclusive Evolution Education (RIE2) Working Group Application

The Resources for Inclusive Evolution Education (RIE2) collective is organizing a virtual working group to develop inclusive teaching modules for undergraduate courses that improve and deepen understanding of evolutionary concepts and examine their historical and social contexts. One of the first places students engage with evolutionary biology in-depth is in undergraduate courses, and evolutionary concepts can be confusing and difficult to grasp at this early stage. Furthermore, to facilitate a deeper understanding of evolutionary concepts within our classrooms and research community, it is important to address how exclusionary systems influenced foundational work in our disciplines, and how it continues to shape the way we study the natural world. We are seeking scientists, historians, sociologists, and science and technology studies scholars of all career stages who want to collaborate in small interdisciplinary teams to develop accessible undergraduate teaching modules that help educators combat misuse of evolutionary concepts as well as examine and dismantle the eugenic and settler-colonial underpinnings of the field. Potential module topics include: fitness, heritability, sexual selection, and more. Through this experience, participants will connect with others interested in evolution education, develop important pedagogical skills, and create a citable teaching resource shared on QUBES. Participants will also receive a small honorarium, thanks to funding from the American Genetics Association and the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution. All participants are expected to attend the kickoff event June 17, 2024, 12 p.m.-3 p.m. ET and first check in on July 16, 2024, 12 p.m.-3 p.m. ET (with breaks built in). Afterward, we are providing two options for teaching module development. First is a short, “hack-a-thon” model where participants will develop modules in real time from August 6-8, 2024, 12 p.m.-4 p.m. ET, with final versions of the educational product to be shared on QUBES by the end of August. The second is a longer form participation model with regular monthly check-ins (dates and times TBD) and the final product shared on QUBES in January 2025. You can find more information about this working group at https://qubeshub.org/community/groups/rie2. The application deadline is 5 p.m. PT on May 28, 2024. Accepted participants will be notified the first week of June. Please contact [email protected] with any questions, suggestions, or if you'd like to contribute further to this effort.