A Study on the Impact of the COVID-19 Closures on Black Students in Physics

COVID-19 resulted in closing, and moving to online learning, at many colleges and universities. These
closures disrupted connections to educational support resources, mentorship (informal and formal), and
co-curricular activities that enrich the students’ experiences. This talk will detail the subsequent study on
the impacts of COVID-19 campus closures (and move to online learning) on African-American (Black)
students pursuing Bachelor’s degrees in physics and astronomy. The study is undertaken within the
framework of outcomes gained by the American Institute of Physics (AIP) TEAM UP Task Force’s two-
year study. Moreover, findings of this study extend to better support students who undergo personal
crises that require short-term or long-term absences from campus (even during normal campus
operations). The project advances understanding of how to increase resilience toward degree completion
for African-American (Black) students during crises. Pandemics resulting in campus closures are not
expected often. Instead, the crises that students face are more often personal crises, such as death of a
close family member, serious illness to the student or close family member, effects of mass incarceration
on families, or deportation of parents. This study provides useful contributions to better serve students
and to prevent differential impacts.