Graduate school choice: how STEM students in the USA decide where to enroll

International Journal of STEM Education · 2026-01-08

There is a dearth of research on which factors students consider when selecting among STEM graduate programs. This is an important knowledge gap because of the value of graduate STEM education to individuals and society. We leverage interview data collected in 2022 from rising seniors after they completed summer undergraduate research programs at different US universities and again in 2023 when they were in their first semester of graduate school (n = 12). We examine how first-semester STEM graduate students from across the US conducted their search and made choices about where to enroll. Qualitative analysis revealed that students considered potential faculty advisor research and mentorship, program characteristics (e.g., reputation), funding packages, and geography, but weighed those differently during the search vs. choice phases. Geography and program reputation mattered more during the search phase than choice phase. Faculty advisors were important in both phases with the potential for high-quality mentorship becoming more important during the choice phase. Preferences for diversity cross-cut the considerations in both phases, relating to geography (e.g., potential to experience racism in a place), program characteristics (e.g., gender diversity of faculty), and advisor demographics. Students took a holistic view toward funding, weighing cost of living, type of funding, and other benefits in addition to the amount. They did not always take their offer with the highest funding amount, although the provision of a sufficient funding package was essential. Mentorship from summer undergraduate research mentors was critical during the search phase but absent during the choice phase. In terms of potential implications, graduate programs should partner with undergraduate research programs to intentionally build bridges between faculty and prospective applicants. In addition to providing adequate funding packages, graduate programs should create opportunities for students to connect with faculty as part of their recruitment strategy, as this is critical to students’ choices.

Unequal Success: Race‐Intentional Approach Reveals Divergent Asian and White Realities in STEM Mentoring

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · 2026-02-01

The model minority myth casts Asians as seamlessly integrated into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields through merit alone. This narrative often leads researchers to treat Asians as statistically similar to Whites or as a homogeneous group. Our study challenges this framing by examining how race is experienced within STEM mentoring relationships between undergraduates and their faculty or postgraduate mentors. We employ a race-intentional methodology with three components: (1) centering race consciousness in mentoring as a key indicator of racialized experience; (2) disaggregating Asian and White experiences; and (3) analyzing how race intersects with gender and power positioning (mentors vs. mentees). Using survey data from 709 participants in STEM research programs, we find that Asians generally report greater race consciousness than their White counterparts, with particularly heightened awareness among Asian women and nonbinary individuals. Asian undergraduate mentees report significantly more race consciousness than White mentees, but this disparity disappears at the mentor level. These findings expose critical flaws in both the meritocratic ideals of STEM and the model minority narrative-especially at a time when Asian achievement is increasingly being politically and legally weaponized to promote colorblind ideologies.

Fine Particulate Matter Is Associated With Lower Executive Functioning in Middle-aged and Older Adults: Cardiometabolic Disease as a Mediator

The Journals of Gerontology Series A · 2025-05-09 · 1 citations

BACKGROUND: PM2.5 pollution is expected to worsen in many places due to climate change, as a result of hotter temperatures, less precipitation, and increases in wind speed. PM2.5 exposure has adverse effects on humans that may accelerate the aging process. Less is known about whether physical and mental health conditions mediate the relationship between PM2.5 exposure and aging-related cognitive and functional limitations. METHODS: Longitudinal data from the Midlife in the United States study (MIDUS 2: 2004-05; MIDUS 3: 2013-14) were used, with a sample of approximately 5 000 individuals aged 32-84. Based on individuals' residential addresses at each wave, we identified census tract-level PM2.5 exposure as defined by 5-year annual averages. Missing data were handled using multiple imputation by chained equations. We examined cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between PM2.5 exposure and aging-related limitations (ie, executive functioning and functional limitations), and tested cardiometabolic disease and depressive symptoms as mediators. RESULTS: Higher PM2.5 exposure was associated with lower executive functioning cross-sectionally and longitudinally, but not with functional limitations. The cross-sectional association between PM2.5 and executive functioning was partially mediated by cardiometabolic disease, accounting for 8.1% of the estimate. Depressive symptoms were not a significant mediator. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest the importance of considering the indirect ways in which climate change may affect health of middle-aged and older adults.

“You Feel Empowered”: Parents’ Emotional Responses to Air Pollution Sensing at Home

Journal of Health and Social Behavior · 2025-12-29

Citizen science with particulate matter sensors at home increases awareness of pollution exposures and can inform health-protective actions, yet little research explores the emotional dimensions of sensing, especially across economic divides. This study shows that participatory air quality sensing is not emotionally neutral. We included 26 parents of asthmatic children in 10 weeks of participatory sensing with indoor and outdoor sensors to understand their exposure experiences. Drawing from weekly surveys and postproject interviews, we found that sensors often generated positive emotions (e.g., empowered, happy) across income levels, underscoring their potential as inclusive tools for asthma management. Parents less often reported negative emotions (e.g., stress, worry); when they did, those were spurred from checking outdoor readings (versus indoor) because outdoor exposures were less controllable. Parents managed emotions by creating contingent boundaries between indoor and outdoor spaces. We recommend expanding access to sensors and air purifiers to promote individual-level environmental health benefits.

Intersectionality of water insecurity on the US-Mexico border: A novel micro-level analysis

Population and Environment · 2025-10-03

Disparities in Fine Particulate Matter Air Pollution Exposures at the US-Mexico Border: The Intersection of Race/Ethnicity and Older Age

Preprints.org · 2025-04-21

Background: Environmental justice research in the United States (US) documents greater air pollution exposures for Hispanic/Latino vs. non-Hispanic White groups. This research has not focused on the intersection of race/ethnicity and older age nor short-term fine particular matter (PM2.5) exposures. We address those limitations in a study of US metropolitan area census tracts within 100 km of the US-Mexico border, a region with serious air quality issues. Methods: We use US Census American Community Survey data to construct sociodemographic variables and Environmental Protection Agency Downscaler data to construct long-term and short-term measures of PM2.5 exposure. Using multivariable generalized estimating equations, we test for differences in PM2.5 exposures between census tracts with higher vs. lower proportions of Hispanic/Latino older residents and non-Hispanic White older residents. Results: As the proportion of the Hispanic/Latino population ≥65 years of age increases, long-term and short-term PM2.5 exposures significantly increase. In contrast, as the proportion of the non-Hispanic White population ≥65 years of age increases, changes in long-term and short-term PM2.5 exposures are statistically non-significant. Conclusion: Findings illuminate how race/ethnicity and older age intersect in shaping PM2.5 exposure disparities and may inform efforts to mitigate air pollution exposures for older Hispanic/Latino people along the US-Mexico border.

Multigenerational exposures to polluting industries and developmental disabilities

The Science of The Total Environment · 2025-06-13

Animal models suggest that environmental exposures can impact future generations of offspring. Yet, there are limited human epidemiological studies of multigenerational environmental exposures, and even fewer such studies of maternal and paternal exposures. Leveraging a unique data resource in Utah (USA), we examine if offspring (F2, n = 6380) are at increased risk of intellectual disability (ID) if the mother or father (F1) were exposed to polluting industrial facilities while their own mothers (F0) were pregnant. We obtained historical data on polluting industry locations and calculated facility densities within 3 km and 5 km of each child's (F2) grandmothers' (F0) residential addresses at time of their mothers' and fathers' (F1) births as well as their mother's address at the time of their birth. We weighted those counts by pairing industry codes with national Risk-Screening Environmental Indicators health risk scores. One standard deviation (SD) increase in the density of facilities near the pregnant maternal grandmother was associated with 1.12 (1.03–1.22) and 1.09 (1.003–1.19) times greater odds of ID at 3 km and 5 km, respectively. Weighing these facility densities by risk, odds ratios associated with SD increases were 1.12 (1.04–1.20, 3 km) and 1.08 (1.003–1.17, 5 km). Associations with facility densities near the pregnant paternal grandmother were positive but weak. Associations with risk-weighted facility density near the pregnant paternal grandmother were stronger at 5 km (1.12, 1.02–1.22) than at 3 km. Results indicated that ancestral exposures, particularly when the maternal grandmother (F0) was pregnant with the mother (F1), may increase risks of developmental disabilities in the next generation (F2). • Research on multigenerational environmental exposures in humans is rare. • We examined intellectual disability (ID) in children using the Utah Population Database. • Maternal grandmothers' industrial exposures were positively related to ID risk. • There is a stronger signal for maternal vs. paternal grandmothers' exposures. • Results suggest that environmental exposures can impact multiple human generations.

Spatial Social Polarization and Cardiometabolic Disease Prevalence and Incidence: What Is the Role of the Neighborhood Environment?

Journal of Health and Social Behavior · 2025-07-09

This study examines the spatial polarization of income and racial-ethnic groups as predictors of prevalent and incident cardiometabolic disease and tests the extent to which local environmental features act as mediators. Spatial income and racial polarization are defined using the Index of Concentration at the Extremes. Using two waves of data from the Midlife in the United States study, generalized Poisson regression model results indicate that county- and tract-level income polarization are independently associated with prevalence and incidence of cardiometabolic disease. Results from path models showed that more income-privileged counties and tracts generally had greater parkland availability, lower social risks, less air pollution, fewer extreme heat days, and more tree canopy cover-but lower walkability. However, associations between income polarization and cardiometabolic disease are not substantively attenuated when accounting for these tract-level features. The findings show how income polarization locally and regionally patterns both environmental inequities and cardiometabolic disease.

Geographic and social inequalities in public school proximity to active landfills in the U.S.

Environmental Sociology · 2025-07-13

“If You Had a Sensor, You Would Know”: Unequal Exposures and Behavioral Responses to Indoor Air Pollution

Society & Natural Resources · 2025-07-01 · 2 citations