February 23 Feb 23
2023
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Thursday Thu

R2G2: Creating a Sense of Belonging in Research Groups

Sense of belonging is generally defined as the experience of positive personal relationships with others in a given environment. There are benefits to cultivating it and consequences to hindering it. A healthy sense of belonging is conducive to greater academic achievement and stronger well-being. An unhealthy sense of belonging can lead to poor academic performance and drop out. Do you want to learn how to create a sense of belonging in research and lab spaces?

Join us to hear Dr. Nidia Ruedas-Gracia discuss how diverse individuals manifest a sense of belonging and learn about strategies that we as faculty and university administration can employ to foster it. Participants will also learn particular strategies for developing a healthy sense of belonging in their research groups and teams!

Speaker

Nidia Ruedas-Gracia, Ph.D

Nidia Ruedas-Gracia, Ph.D. is an assistant professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She earned a BA from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in Psychology and Sociology, an MA from New York University (NYU) in Human Development and Social Intervention, and a PhD from Stanford University in Developmental and Psychological Sciences. Dr. Ruedas-Gracia’s research interests include exploring sociocultural factors (e.g., sense of belonging) that impact the academic performance and psychological development of historically marginalized students.