STEM Tea | Disrupting racism and cisheteropatriarchy through research, pedagogy and mentorship in STEM education

3 Oct 2025

In this episode of the STEM Tea podcast, host AJ Hinton is joined by Luis A. Leyva (left), Associate Professor of Mathematics Education & STEM Higher Education in the Peabody College of Education & Human Development at Vanderbilt University (TN, USA). Luis is the Director of the Power, Resistance & Identity in STEM Education (PRISM) Research Lab. He describes how his research examines equity through pedagogy to disrupt racism and cisheteropatriarchy for broadening opportunities among historically marginalized populations in STEM.

Luis discusses why amplifying marginalized experiences as knowledge sources is vital to challenge the status quo in STEM pedagogy, in addition to his perspectives about leadership as a researcher. He also shares his experiences of being an openly queer man of color as a form of resistance and the ethos of his equity-minded mentorship in the academy.

Meet Luis 00:41–02:54
The evolving definition of ‘STEM’ and variation of disciplinary cultures in the sciences 02:55–04:48
Expanding opportunities for historically marginalized groups in STEM through pedagogy 04:49–07:35
A glimpse into pedagogy in postsecondary calculus for STEM educational equity 07:36-12:25
Sustaining professional energy by nurturing aspects of personal life 12:26–16:30
The leadership challenges of making space for multiple voices whilst maintaining a collective vision 16:31–22:04
Passion for amplifying and validating experiences of intersectionality to foster a sense of belonging in STEM 22:05–25:25
Learning and growing alongside research mentees in equity-minded advising 25:26–29:54
Being out as a form of resistance, especially in STEM environments 29:55–33:13
Mentorship: paying it forward, facilitating connections and embracing equity 33:14–39:16
Closing 39:17–40:37