This document discusses unconscious biases that can influence evaluations of students and job applicants in STEM fields based on gender and ethnicity. It presents results from studies showing biases exist. Participants are asked to evaluate applications for a lab manager position and PhD program to examine their own potential biases. The document provides resources on implicit bias and strategies to minimize biases in evaluations.

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Competence Hireability Mentoring Likability
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male faculty 4.01 3.33
female faculty 4.1 3.32

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12. 1
Understanding and Minimizing Unconscious Biases
in the STEM Disciplines
Steve Lee, PhD 3rd
NSF-IOS Broadening Participation PI Meeting
stnlee@ucdavis.edu FASEB Conference Center
University of California, Davis Bethesda, MD
Graduate Diversity Officer for the STEM Disciplines September 21, 2015
Group Activities and Discussion
Activity #1: Please review the following application materials, and evaluate this application for a lab manager
position. Rate the applicant on a scale from 1 (not at all) to 7 (very much) for questions #1-4.
Rating Question
1.) Does the applicant strike you as competent?
2.) How likely would you be to hire the applicant for the lab manager job?
3.) If you encountered this student, how willing would you be to serve as their mentor?
4.) Would you characterize the applicant as someone you would want to get to know better?
DEMOGRAPHICS and BACKGROUND
● Name: Jennifer XXXXX
● Gender: Female
● Ethnic Background: Caucasian
● Age: 22
● Degree: Bachelors of Science, obtained May 2015
● GPA: 3.2
● GRE scores: 85 percentile verbal, 68 percentile quantitative
● Awards: President's Service Award, Rotary Club College Scholarship
● Previous research experience: 2 years as a research assistant working with 2 different faculty
● Academic standing: appears from Jennifer's transcript that she was in good standing upon graduation, but withdrew
from 1 class prior to final
● Letters of recommendation: 3 (2 from former faculty research supervisors, 1 from an intro science course professor), all
supportive
● Future plans: to apply to doctoral programs
● Extracurricular activities: student government, college learning center tutor
● Position sought: Lab Manager; for 2 years, with possibility of renewal pending satisfactory performance
Excerpt from student statement: "I am a motivated student and would make the most of the opportunity to serve as your
lab manager. After spending a semester working in Dr. XXXXX’s lab and another year doing research with Dr. XXXXX, I have
gained valuable technical skills, co-authored a journal article, and am now committed to an academic research career. As
someone focused on improving my standing and enhancing my research experience, this lab manager position would
provide the perfect opportunity to hone the necessary skills to make me competitive for graduate school applications.
Additionally, the fascinating research taking place in your lab is directly in line with my interests and experiences. In short, I
am focused, motivated, organized and dedicated to improving my research skills. I am enthusiastic about the opportunity
to fill the lab manager position and collaborate with you on future research."
Excerpt from faculty recommendation letter: " ... although Jennifer admittedly took a bit longer than some students to get
serious about her studies early in college, she has impressed me by improving over the last two years of her science
coursework and has made every effort to make up for lost ground. She has been a strong research assistant in my lab, and I
know she is capable of serving as a dedicated lab manager."

13. 2
Activity #2: Please evaluate the following application for admission into a PhD program in the biological
sciences. Rate the applicant on a scale from 1 (low recommendation for admission) to 10 (high).
Rating (from 1 to 10):
●
Resources and References
• Handelsman, J; et al; “Science faculty’s subtle gender biases favor male students” PNAS, 2012, p 16474.
• Milkman, K; et al; “What Happens Before? A Field Experiment Exploring How Pay and Representation Differentially
Shape Bias on the Pathway into Organizations” Journal of Applied Psychology, 2015.
• Schmader T, Whitehead J, Wysocki VH; “A Linguistic Comparison of Letters of Recommendation for Male and Female
Chemistry and Biochemistry Job Applicants”, Sex Roles. 2007; 57(7-8): 509-514.
• Avoiding Unintended Gender Bias in Letters of Recommendation; National Center for Women & Information Tech.
o https://www.ncwit.org/sites/default/files/resources/avoidingunintendedgenderbiaslettersrecommendation.pdf
• Project Implicit and Implicit Bias Test
o http://projectimplicit.org/about.html
o https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/
• McGee, R; Keller, J; “Identifying Future Scientists”, CBE–Life Sciences Education, 2007, Vol 6, pp 316-331.
• Nivet, Marc “Diversity 3.0: A Necessary Systems Upgrade”, Acad Medicine, 2011, p 1487.
• Page, Scott “The Difference: How the Power of Diversity Creates Better Groups, Firms, Schools, and Societies, 2007
o Presentation at UCSD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhVrNKGZ_0s
• Phillips, K; “How Diversity Makes Us Smarter” Scientific American; Sept 16, 2014.
this applicant info was redacted to keep
this info confidential, because this pdf file
is being posted online