A coral reef as an analogical model to promote collaborative learning on cultural and ethnic diversity in science

Abstract

An exercise designed to engage students in critical thinking and active conversation about gender, diversity, and ethnicity in science is described. First semester college science students frequently do not realize that individual scholarship is an integral component of global scholarship and that scientific progress stems from the scholarly contributions of numerous individuals. The described exercise initially uses a collage of a coral reef—chosen both for its visual impact and because it is an excellent model of diversity—highlighting various aspects of life on a reef. This is followed by a trawl of library resources to enable the development of a chronology of significant contributions and practices in the field of medicine and the identification of historical and contemporary scholars and practitioners by race, cultural heritage, and gender.