Meet Crystal Morton
Crystal Morton, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Mathematics Education in the Department of Urban Teacher Education at IUPUI School of Education. Currently, she is the Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development, Director of Research for the Great Lakes Equity Center, and a Board member for Tech Point Foundation for Youth. She is also the founder and director of Girls STEM Institute. Girls STEM Institute aims to transform communities by empowering girls of color to become leaders, innovators, and educators who use STEM as a tool for personal and social change.
Dr. Morton’s scholarly work focuses on secondary mathematics education, emphasizing the role of informal STEM learning in fostering equitable and transformative mathematics teaching and learning experiences. She primarily examines the learning experiences and specifically mathematics learning experiences of Black girls in grades 3-12.
As a former high school mathematics teacher, she is passionate about providing historically marginalized populations opportunities to become the next generation of STEM professionals, leaders, and decision-makers.
In her free time, Dr. Morton enjoys spending time with her family and friends, resting, watching Marvel movies and tv shows, and enjoying good food and snacks.
Through Girls STEM Institute, we aim to create an inclusive and transformative space where Black girls are empowered to live their best lives and embrace their innate brilliance through STEM exploration.
Dr. Crystal Morton
Q and A with Dr. Crystal Morton
My interest in the mathematics identity development of Black girls and their experiences in formal and informal spaces stemmed from my experiences as a college student and as a high school mathematics teacher.
One of my research themes is prioritizing nurturing, enriching, and holistic mathematics and STEM-based educational experiences for Black girls, young women and their families by creating spaces for teaching and learning.
Through Girls STEM Institute, we aim to create an inclusive and transformative space where Black girls are empowered to live their best lives and embrace their innate brilliance through STEM exploration. Within these spaces, Black girls have experiences that help to disrupt false narratives about their intelligence and who they are as Black learners, as well as improve their achievement, perceptions, and confidence. Providing these experiences for young Black girls is crucial to fostering the positive development of mathematics identity (Morton & Smith-Mutegi, 2018).
Since 2013, Girls STEM Institute has served 343 total scholars (290 nonduplicate scholars) in grades 2-12 during our summer program at IUPUI and 150 nonduplicate scholars during our Saturday programs. We have found that participating in Girsl STEM Institute has positively impacted Black girls’ STEM identity development and understanding of mathematics (Morton & Smith-Mutegi, 2018). Morton & Smith-Mutegi, 2022, 2017) found that Girls STEM Institute impacted the self-efficacy, perceptions of the value of mathematics and science knowledge, and the overall self-confidence of the scholars in our study as well as their interest in STEM careers.
Spending time with scholars and their caregivers. The Girls STEM Institute summer program is a great highlight of my year.
The scholars and their caregivers are active in research dissemination. We co-present at local, national and international conferences.
Community members help to facilitate learning experiences during Girls STEM Institute. We also collaborate on grant projects.
I would like to secure funding to implement the Fostering and Maximizing Interdisciplinary Learning Year-round (F.a.M.I.L.Y) project that Girls STEM Instiute piloted during the COVID-19 shutdown. The GSI: F.a.M.I.L.Y project was a one-year pilot study that provided Black girls and their parent/caregivers an opportunity to complete life-enriching, multidisciplinary, socially transformative STEM experiences collaboratively to explore how these learning experiences impact Black girls and their caregivers' enjoyment of STEM, interest in STEM content and careers, and understanding of STEM as a tool for personal and social change.
I would also like to extend the work and research of Girls STEM Institute to parts of Africa within the next 3 to 4 years through an international partnership.
Conversation with Dr. Crystal Morton
On Friday, February 23, 2024, from 12 noon to 1:00 p.m., Dr. Crystal Morton talked about “Girls STEM Institute: Impacting Lives through a Loving and Holistic Approach.”
Girls STEM Institute (GSI) provides an affirming system of support for girls of color focused on STEM (science, engineering, technology, and math) identity and overall wellness and well-being and seeks to rehumanize their STEM learning experiences. Dr. Crystal Morton and her community partners provided an overview of and discussed the ways GSI has positively impacted the lives of program scholars and their families through a loving and holistic approach.