Scientist Spotlight assignments feature the life and work of diverse scientists and can be used to integrate inclusion and representation into your course, while also covering content and scientific process.
Below you will find some literature on the use of Scientist Spotlights, examples of how Scientist Spotlights are being used in UBC BIOL courses, and places where you can find diverse scientists to feature in these assignments.
Relevant research and findings on the use of Scientist Spotlight Assignments in undergraduate biology courses:
- Schinske et al. (2016) found that Scientist Spotlight assignments can shift students’ perceptions of the types of people who do science and enhance student science identity.
- Yonas et al. (2020) showed that Scientist Spotlight assignments were well-received by students and that student relatability to the scientist spotlights varied by student self-identities (gender, sexual orientation, religiosity, ethnicity, personal experiences, interests, etc.).
- Aranda et al. (2021) made the case for engaging students in the creation of Scientist Spotlights to leverage students’ authentic perspectives and unique cultural assets and increase the likelihood that the Scientist Spotlights produced will resonate with them and their peers.
- Metzger et al. (2023) demonstrated that these assignments can have a disproportionately positive impact for first-generation college students and women, providing further reason to include them in biology courses.
- Rivera et al. (2024) found that students rate Scientist Spotlights as high-value for their learning and that these assignments can impact students in multiple ways: by providing a window into what it is like to be a scientist, portraying scientists as real people with traits that students can identify with, and showing students a path for becoming a science person.
- Costello et al. (2025) offers recommendations for highlighting counterstereotypical scientists in curricula in ways that maximize benefits and minimize costs and potential harms.
Examples of how Scientist Spotlight assignments are being implemented in UBC BIOL courses:
- Amy Angert shares her experience with incorporating a series of Spotlight Scientist assignments in BIOL 406 here.
- Jaclyn Dee shares her experience with using a Scientist Spotlight activity in BIOL 112 here.
- Jaclyn Dee and Blaire Steinwand share how they brought in a guest speaker as a Scientist Spotlight in BIOL 140 here.
- Takuji Usui and Gabriel Dall’Alba share how they created a tutorial activity to help BIOL 336 students get to know diverse scientists here.
- Christine Goedhart shares her experience with using Expert Interview assignments in BIOL 348 here.
Places where you can find diverse scientists to spotlight:
- Scientist Spotlights Initiative (this is a great place to start, providing an assortment of diverse scientists to spotlight and tips and strategies for assignment implementation): https://scientistspotlights.org/
- Breakthrough: Portraits of Women in Science: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB2w1JNHV4HS7iJrO7IPpxN8bgW5FrFDe
- UBC Biodiversity – Researchers Revealed: https://explore.beatymuseum.ubc.ca/researchers-revealed/
- Breakthrough: Portraits of Women in Science: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB2w1JNHV4HS7iJrO7IPpxN8bgW5FrFDe
- The Story Collider podcast: https://www.storycollider.org/podcasts/
- Project Biodiversify: https://projectbiodiversify.org/examples/
- TED Talks: https://www.ted.com/talks
- BioGraphI (Biologists and Graph Interpretations): https://qubeshub.org/community/groups/biographi
- Data Nuggets: https://datanuggets.org/
- Your own professional networks and organizations