Hanson Center Visiting Scholar 2024-2025: Dr. Ebony McGee

Dr. Ebony McGee

Dr. Ebony McGee, Professor of Innovation and Inclusion in the STEM Ecosystem at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Education and its Department of Mental Health, is the Hanson Center Visiting Scholar for 2024-2025! With a background in electrical engineering, Dr. McGee is the foremost expert on race and structural racism within the traditional STEM ecosystem. Her groundbreaking research explores the experiences and mental/physical health impacts of STEM education and careers for Black and other historically marginalized individuals.

From her compelling narratives in the book Black, Brown, Bruised: How Racialized STEM Education Stifles Innovation (Harvard Education Press, 2020) to her insightful journal articles and op-ed essays, Dr. McGee’s work shines a light on crucial issues in STEM. Dr. McGee’s recent research extends to exploring resilience, wellness, and job integration within the STEM ecosystem, as well as investigating the relationship between STEM innovation and entrepreneurship. More details about Dr. McGee’s scholarly work can be found below.

Inclusive STEM Reading Group

As part of the Visiting Scholar Program, the Hanson Center’s Inclusive STEM Reading Group will read and discuss Dr. McGee’s book, Black, Brown, Bruised: How Racialized STEM Education Stifles Innovation (Harvard Education Press, 2020) during the fall semester. The reading group is open to faculty and staff throughout the college.

Please let us know you are interested in participating in the Fall 2024 Inclusive STEM Reading Group by completing this form by Tuesday, Sept. 3. The first meeting of the reading group will be held in person on Thursday, September 12 at 12:15 in AEC 507. Lunch will be provided.

2024-2025 Schedule

Thursday, October 10 – Friday, October 11, 2024

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10

  • 4:15-5:30 PM:  Black, Brown, Bruised: How Racialized STEM Education Stifles Innovation
    104 Kirby Hall
    Campus Presentation by Dr. McGee
  • 5:45-7:00 Dinner and Informal Discussion

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11

  • Morning:  Small meetings with faculty, staff, and students
Thursday, March 6 – Friday, March 7, 2025

THURSDAY, MARCH 6

  • Morning: Small meetings with faculty, staff, and students

  • 12:15–1:00 PM | Hugel 100
    Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Structural Inclusion in STEM Courses and the Case for Afrofuturism
    Dr. McGee will discuss Afrofuturism as a transformative framework for reimagining an inclusive STEM future. Lunch provided and all are welcome.

    STEM education and industries must confront their historical and ongoing biases, including the exclusion of non-White perspectives, the dominance of White ideologies, and the marginalization of minoritized cultures that have contributed to STEM globally. These systems often frame knowledge as neutral and unconnected to power, creating environments that are unwelcoming to those who do not fit the mold of White, heterosexual, able-bodied men. As a way to challenge these inequities, Dr. Ebony McGee (Professor of Innovation and Inclusion in the STEM Ecosystem at Johns Hopkins University) will discuss Afrofuturism, which offers a transformative framework that intersects imagination, technology, liberation, and a Black cultural lens. By reimagining futures where Black individuals and communities thrive, Afrofuturism critiques systemic racism, interrogates historical injustices, and amplifies marginalized voices in STEM. It envisions a future where the African diaspora is central to technological and scientific progress, fostering justice-driven innovation and inclusive learning. Join us for this powerful presentation and explore how Afrofuturism can reshape STEM—everyone is encouraged to attend!

    4:15–5:45 PM | Simon 109
    Disrupting Normativity: A Critical Examination and Reconstruction Towards a Structurally Inclusive STEM Curricula/Culture
    In this faculty/staff workshop, Dr. McGee will examine systemic barriers in STEM and strategies for equity-driven curriculum reform.

    Dr. McGee will examine how traditional STEM education has been shaped by racial exclusion, Eurocentric ideologies, and systemic barriers, creating an inhospitable environment for historically-marginalized students. She will introduce an innovative STEM curriculum that centers the racial identities and lived experiences of historically excluded students while integrating pressing social issues into STEM learning. This approach moves beyond a monocultural lens, which often inadvertently buttresses systemic barriers, towards a more culturally responsive, socially conscious educational model that fosters critical thinking, problem-solving, and real-world application. By reshaping STEM instruction to be inclusive and equity-driven, this framework empowers students to use STEM as a tool for meaningful change.

Dr. McGee’s Scholarship

In addition to her recent book Black, Brown, Bruised: How Racialized STEM Education Stifles Innovation Dr. McGee has published many journal articles and op-ed essays. Details about Dr. McGee’s scholarly work, including her CV, can be found at this link.

Dr. McGee is a frequent op-ed contributor and has published essays in Science, The Washington Post, Diverse Issues in Higher Education, Nature Human Behaviour and Cancer, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Higher Education Today, Education Week, and the British Broadcasting Company. Her research has been cited in a variety of news outlets, including  US News & World Report, Diverse Issues in Higher Education, Inside Higher Education, The Hechinger Report, NPR Codeswitch, The Tennessean, and the Washington Monthly.

Dr. McGee has received external funding from numerous organizations including more than ten major grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Her most recent NSF grant explores the intersection of STEM innovation and entrepreneurship. This research seeks to understand the critical infrastructure enhancements needed to support and empower a diverse population of STEM founders and business owners.

Here are some of Dr. McGee’s most recent articles that might be of interest:

McGee, E. O., Monroe-White, T., Laosebikan, O., & Vilfranc, C. L. (2024). Interrogating the relationship between racial activism and academic career interest among STEM doctoral students. American Journal of Education, 130(2), 177–206. https://doi.org/10.1086/728267

Monroe-White, T., & McGee, E. (2024). Toward a race-conscious entrepreneurship education. Entrepreneurship Education and Pedagogy, 7(2), 161–189. https://doi.org/10.1177/25151274231164927

Main, J. B., McGee, E. O., Cox, M. F., Tan, L., & Berdanier, C. G. P. (2023). Trends in the underrepresentation of women of color faculty in engineering (2005–2018). Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 16(5), 589–606. https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000426

McGee, E. O., Morton, T. R., White, D. T., & Frierson, W. (2023). Accelerating racial activism in STEM higher education by institutionalizing equity ethics. Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education, 125(9), 108–139. https://doi.org/10.1177/01614681231216518

McGee, E. O., Naphan-Kingery, D., Miles, M. L., & Joseph, O. (2022). How Black engineering and computing faculty exercise an equity ethic to racially fortify and enrich Black students. The Journal of Higher Education, 93(5), 702–734. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2022.2031704

McGee, E. O. (2020). Interrogating structural racism in STEM higher education. Educational Researcher, 49(9), 633–644. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X20972718

Main, J. B., Tan, L., Cox, M. F., McGee, E. O., & Katz, A. (2020). The correlation between undergraduate student diversity and the representation of women of color faculty in engineering. Journal of Engineering Education, 109(4), 843–864. https://doi.org/10.1002/jee.20361

McGee, E. (2018). “Black genius, Asian fail”: The detriment of stereotype lift and stereotype threat in high-achieving Asian and Black STEM students. AERA Open, 4(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/2332858418816658