Two-volume series spotlights science education researchers across the African Diaspora and challenges institutions to build lasting academic “homes.”

Dr. Brittany Garvin is celebrating a milestone that blends scholarship with deep personal meaning. As co-editor of the two-volume series Creating and Maintaining a Home in Science Education Research: Voices Across the African Diaspora, Dr. Garvin and contributors from across the globe explore what it means to make, and defend a “home” in science education research. The series centers Black and African Diaspora scholars as knowledge producers, highlights justice-oriented approaches to STEM teaching and learning, and offers insight for institutions seeking to strengthen teacher preparation and STEM literacy.

Q&A: Catching up with Dr. Brittany Garvin

QUESTION: Thanks for taking the time to discuss your work and career. Please tell me about your latest milestone.

Dr. Brittany Garvin:
Yes, I’m honored to finally share something that feels like both a scholarly milestone and a very personal one.

I’ve had the privilege of serving as co-editor of the two-volume series Creating and Maintaining a Home in Science Education Research: Voices Across the African Diaspora. These books bring together powerful narratives and critical scholarship from science education researchers of African ancestry across the globe who are doing the work of making and defending a “home” in the academy.

QUESTION: What is significant about your project?

Dr. Brittany Garvin:
For me, this project is not just about publishing a book. It is about first, reimagining who science education is for and with, centering Black and African Diaspora voices as knowledge producers, not exceptions or add-ons. Second, addressing the urgent need for more science educators, particularly Teachers of Color and Indigenous Teachers who are prepared and supported to teach in ways that are rigorous, culturally sustaining, and justice-oriented. And third, advancing STEM literacy as a civic necessity, recognizing that the ability to engage critically with science and technology is foundational to health, democracy, and economic opportunity, especially in communities historically marginalized by STEM.

QUESTION: How does your project align with the vision & mission of IU School of Education Indianapolis?

Dr. Brittany Garvin:
This series reflects the IU School of Education Indianapolis' commitment to equity-driven teaching, research, and community partnership by centering lived experience, cultural knowledge, and justice-oriented inquiry as essential - not optional, to science education. By lifting voices across the African Diaspora and highlighting community-grounded, culturally sustaining approaches, the volumes model the kind of scholarship and educator preparation that supports Indianapolis learners while also contributing to broader efforts to build more humane and inclusive educational futures.

QUESTION: Who is the primary audience for this research? And what, in your view, do they care about?

Dr. Brittany Garvin:
If you care about diversifying the science education workforce, making STEM a space where Black and African ancestry learners and educators can thrive, and aligning institutional strategies with real stories and lived expertise…I invite you to spend time with these volumes, teach with them, critique them, and use them as a springboard for action on your own campus, in your district, or in your community.

These volumes are, in many ways, a love letter to those who have struggled to find or sustain a “home” in science education research, and a challenge to institutions (including my own) to build structures in which that home is no longer fragile, conditional, or rare.

QUESTION: How does your research and this book project align with the IU 2030 Strategic Plan?

Dr. Brittany Garvin:

This work sits in deep alignment with Indiana University’s 2030 strategic priorities.

Under Student Success & Opportunity, these volumes speak directly to what it means for Black and African ancestry students, educators, and scholars to actually belong in science and science education, not just be present.

Under Transformative Research & Creativity, the chapters model community-engaged, equity-driven scholarship that treats classrooms, communities, and the broader African Diaspora as vital spaces for theory-building and innovation.

Under Service to the State & Beyond, the series offers concrete insights for strengthening teacher education, addressing science teacher shortages, and building more equitable STEM ecosystems that benefit Indiana and communities worldwide.

STEM literacy, justice-centered teacher preparation, and IU's 2030 strategic plan are deeply interconnected. I’m proud that this work helps make that connection visible, and grateful to the many contributors and collaborators who made it all possible!

Why it matters

Across the two volumes, contributors illuminate how scholars of African ancestry navigate institutions, build community, and push science education toward more culturally sustaining, justice-oriented possibilities. The series invites educators, researchers, and leaders to move beyond statements of commitment, and toward structures that make belonging durable.

To purchase the two-volume series, please visit the official website of the publisher, Springer Nature.

Springer Nature Link

For more information on the subject, please watch the full interview with Dr. Brittany Garvin below!