Our Values

The core values of our group include:

Mental, emotional, and physical well-being: We believe that physical, emotional, and mental well-being is of utmost importance. For this reason, we check in with each other and treat each other with compassion, flexibility, understanding, and care. We celebrate rest, hobbies, vacations, and self-care!

Respect: We prioritize respect for one another and our community through mindful interactions. We aim to actively listen to each other, intentionally make space for everyone to have input, value diverse experiences and ideas, respect each others’ unique career paths, and celebrate one another’s strengths and individuality. We are not just colleagues, but also each other’s cheerleaders and allies!

Effective and open communication: We strive toward early communication about any issues. We also provide constructive non-personal feedback that outlines both strengths and areas for improvement.

Mentorship and support: We work in teams of 3 – 4 on each project. Each project team includes researchers at different stages of their educational trajectory (i.e., postdocs and graduate students collaborating with post-baccs and undergraduate students). This allows us to brainstorm with each other, challenge each other’s ideas, collaboratively conduct analyses to ensure rigor, support each other through the research challenges, and celebrate our achievements. Another positive aspect of our research teams is that they foster multiple mentoring relationships within the group.

Courage and open-mindedness: Sometimes it takes courage to propose new ideas or take action. For this reason, we value being brave and creating a welcoming space in which being brave is easy. This means that we keep an open mind when hearing new ideas, meeting new people, and receiving feedback.

Intentional goal-setting: To meet our professional and personal goals, we value intentional and frequent goal-setting. For this reason, we hold periodic planning meetings during which we outline concrete aims and tasks, as well as reflect on our success in achieving goals. Based on these conversations, we make adjustments to improve how we work and support each other.

Check out this video segment from Spectrum News Triad about Chemistry Education Research and DEIA efforts in STEM! 💖