Jasmine McBeath, a doctoral student at UC Santa Barbara’s Gevirtz School, has been selected for the prestigious Graduate Research Fellowship Program from National Science Foundation (NSF). The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, pursuing research-based Master's and doctoral degrees. McBeath was chosen as one of 2,000 fellowship recipients out of 17,000 applicants. She will receive support from NSF for her graduate studies and research for the next three years. The awards are presented to individuals who have promising potential for growth and achievement in research in an effort to foster science and research in the U.S. Awardees represent a diverse group of institutions, backgrounds, and disciplines.
McBeath is a student in the Department of Education with a research emphasis in Learning, Culture, and Technology, working with Dr. Richard Durán. She received a B.A. in Spanish and a B.S. in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology from the University of Arizona. She made the most of her undergraduate experience by interning in a psychology laboratory, working as a resident assistant, and learning silly songs to entertain elementary students in Camp Wildcat. After college, Jasmine spent a year teaching English to indigenous leaders in Manaus, Brazil on a Fulbright Scholarship. The last few years she has enjoyed working for nonprofit organizations in California and New Mexico as a teacher, community organizer, and case manager. Through teaching, performing research, volunteering, and working both in the U.S. and abroad, she has embraced a broader conceptualization of science. Her research interests are in integrating cultural ways of knowing and enabling underrepresented groups to participate in and contribute their knowledge to STEM fields, both to help them learn better and to enrich scientific understanding and perspectives. Her current project at the St. George Family Youth Center establishes a Makerspace program to address scientific identity for Latino adolescents, with a particular focus on girls. She has also enjoyed participating in activities with the Thinkering Lab, and is extremely grateful for the support and opportunities she has received from the GGSE Maker group and UC Links community.