Boosting STEM Success: Strategies for Black Students with Terrell Morton

UIC Researcher Terrell Morton Named Rising Star in Social Sciences for Groundbreaking STEM Equity Work

Chicago, IL – Terrell Morton, associate professor of identity and justice in STEM education at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), has been awarded the Rising Star in Social Sciences award in recognition of his impactful research on the experiences of Black students in STEM fields.

Morton’s work centers on a fundamental question: “What does it mean to be a Black person in this space?” Drawing from a background that includes degrees in neuroscience and chemistry, he investigates how undergraduate Black students navigate and find belonging within STEM education and the subtle influences – even down to seating arrangements – that impact their experiences.

Image of Terrell Morton sitting for a pose outside. (Photo: Martin Hernandez/UIC)

His research highlights the critical importance of diversity in STEM, arguing that a broader range of perspectives fuels innovation and strengthens national competitiveness. Morton believes increasing the number of Black students pursuing STEM careers is vital not only for addressing systemic issues globally but also for unlocking the full potential of the nation’s workforce.

“We are facing these grand challenges, and we know the most innovative solutions come from people who have a diversity of mindsets, backgrounds and experiences,” Morton explained. “Right now, we are not doing our best as a nation or as a world. Our learning spaces functionally weed people out.”

To address this, Morton leads a research team, the Justice and Joy Squad, comprised of faculty, administrators, and community stakeholders, working to fundamentally rethink the structure of higher education. Current projects include utilizing Afrofuturism to reimagine undergraduate biology instruction, examining the challenges faced by researchers focusing on race in today’s sociopolitical climate, and analyzing health equity funding at Minority-Serving Institutions.

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Morton’s path to education was not direct. Initially intending to become a doctor, he discovered his passion for mentorship while earning his master’s degree in neuroscience, volunteering with a high school marching band and mentoring high school students. This experience led him to pursue a doctorate in education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

He credits his upbringing in a family deeply involved in civil rights and community work in North Carolina – with a grandfather who was a Baptist minister and a mother dedicated to youth development – for instilling in him a strong commitment to advocacy.

“I fell in love with working with students directly,” Morton said. “It helped me realize that mentorship and working with students was that thing that was missing for me.”