College of Education and Human Development

School of Education Counseling Program Professor Erik Hines is Honored with the Emerald Literati Award for Outstanding Author Contribution

Erik Hines

Erik Hines, professor in the Counseling program within the School of Education at George Mason University, has received the Emerald Literati Award for Outstanding Author Contribution in recognition of his co-authorship of a book chapter titled “The Career Academy as a Vehicle to Promote Black Male Student Interest in STEM College and Career Pathways.” As described on the Emerald Publishing website, this award highlights authors “who have contributed something new or of significant value to the body of knowledge, either in terms of approach or subject matter.” His selection for this award reflects the accomplishments of Hines in advancing research on the role that academies can play in expanding educational and professional opportunities for Black males interested in STEM. Funding for the research described in the chapter was provided by the National Science Foundation.

Upon learning the news that he had been named as a recipient of the Emerald Literati award, Hines expressed his gratitude and thanks to his co-authors Edward C. Fletcher, Jr., Donna Y. Ford, and James L. Moore III, all of whom are faculty at The Ohio State University, citing their contributions in writing the chapter. “My thoughts on being selected for this award,” Hines stated, “were focused on how my co-authors and myself were being acknowledged for the critical work of improving the academic and career outcomes of Black males.”

This award-winning chapter appears in a book that Hines co-edited titled Black Males in Secondary and Postsecondary Education: Teaching, Mentoring, Advising, and Counseling, which details the challenges that Black boys and young men face in navigating their educational journey from preschool through graduate and professional school and beyond into their professional careers. The chapter written by Hines and his colleagues delves into the learning experiences of 16 Black male high school students attending an academy of engineering configured as a magnet school. The researchers held a series of interviews with these students during which they asked questions regarding the reasons and motivations that led the students to enroll in the engineering academy.

Hines shared his thoughts on how his work in co-authoring this chapter aligns with his research interests. He explained, “I decided to be co-author on this paper because all the authors and I have mutual interest in understanding how to place Black boys and young men in the best position to succeed academically and have viable pathways into college and into a career, particularly in STEM, and in this specific case, engineering.”

“This chapter,” Hines continued, “is an extension of my research agenda on promoting the career exploration in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics for students of color, in particular, Black males. Black males are underrepresented in all sectors of STEM fields.” Hines emphasized that young Black males seeking a career or education in STEM, especially engineering, need mentorship to help them stay focused on pursuing their interests and developing their inherent talents. This requires supporting Black males as they advance their proficiency in the study of STEM content—whether it is majoring in a STEM discipline as an undergraduate, attaining an advanced STEM degree as a graduate student, serving as STEM faculty at a university or college, or entering the workforce as a STEM professional.

As discussed in the chapter co-authored by Hines, three major themes emerged from the interviews conducted with the Black male students at the engineering academy:

• Promoting Interests in STEM
• An Affinity for Hands-on Learning Through the Engineering Curriculum, and
• Drawing Connections to Core Academy Content.

Hines elaborated on each of these themes in his comments shown below:

Promoting Interests in STEM

“Environment matters when it comes to cultivating and sustaining the interests of Black males in STEM, particularly engineering. Providing work-based learning opportunities so Black males get early exposure to the engineering professions keeps them engaged and interested in this field.”

An Affinity for Hands-on Learning Through the Engineering Curriculum

“Hands-on experiences, such as building things and working in groups with students that have similar interests and backgrounds, stimulated learning, and engagement in engineering for Black males. Being involved in engineering activities helped Black males in the academic content areas of math and science because they were able to connect the activities of engineering to the academic concepts they were learning.”

Drawing Connections to Core Academy Content

“Being involved in engineering activities helped Black males in the academic content areas of math and science because they were able to connect the activities of engineering to the academic concepts they were learning.”

Reflecting further on these themes, Hines highlighted the importance of providing a school culture that encourages and engages Black males in STEM by providing experiences around work-based learning. He added that the school culture must also enroll and support Black males in rigorous coursework such as Advanced Placement (AP), Honors, or International Baccalaureate (IB) programs that will help them become college and career ready.

In addition, Hines emphasized, “It is important to provide students access and exposure to Black male role models from the engineering profession and from the educational field, such as teachers, school counselors, and administrators. These role models can support Black male students and provide a roadmap to academic success while showing various career pathways into STEM professions.”

When asked about what he thought future research priorities should be, Hines stated, “One of our recommendations for researchers is to examine how participation in career academies can impact the ACT/SAT scores, grades, and GPA of Black males. We also recommend that researchers examine the engagement of Black male engineering academy students in college readiness activities such as advanced placement and honors courses.”

Please join the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) community in congratulating Erik Hines for the well-deserved honor of being named recipient of the Emerald Literati Award for Outstanding Author Contribution. His co-authorship of this award-winning chapter expands the literature and enhances the body of knowledge on the best research and practices designed to broaden the participation of Black males in the engineering profession.