Kaitlyn Murray
Ph.D. Student - Science & Agriculture Education
Kait Murray is an educator and researcher of community leadership whose work focuses on transforming agricultural and environmental education, both in and outside of schools. She is broadly interested in how people with marginalized sexualities and genders – particularly members of the LGBTQ community – navigate and change educational systems. She researches the complex relationships between individuals and these educational spaces: how they create them, experience them, resist them, disrupt them, uphold them, transform them. Kait’s work draws upon critical, participatory, humanizing, and feminist methodologies, with a focus on affecting change through both the process and products of research. Kait was recently awarded the 2020 Graduate Group in Education Award for Academic Distinction, and her co-authored article - Queering Agricultural Education Research: Strategies and Challenges for Advancing Inclusion – the first article about sexuality ever published in the Journal of Agricultural Education, was awarded second runner up for JAE Article of the Year.
Prior to joining the School of Education, Kait managed academic peer mentoring and advising programs at UC Davis and Ohio State University, including work with UC Davis Student Housing, the Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (Ohio LSAMP Alliance), and the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. She completed her MS in Agricultural Extension Education and Community Leadership at The Ohio State University, where she studied participatory evaluation and leadership development of college students of agriculture. She holds a BS in Biology and a BS in Agriculture, also from The Ohio State University.
Research
Current Projects
Kait is a researcher and organizer of multiple interdisciplinary research teams, including:
-
QT Lab, a joint project of the UC Davis LGBTQIA Center and the Chancellor’s Committee on LGBTQIA Issues. This team is conducting a needs and assets assessment of LGBTQIA graduate students and staff at UC Davis.
-
Girls’ Outdoor Adventure in Leadership and Science, which researches and evaluates science and leadership identity development in the context of a field-based science and leadership program for girls and nonbinary youth.
Kait also conducts research on LGBTQ educators in agricultural education, focusing on 4-H and FFA, with Dr. Cary Trexler. She holds two Graduate Student Researcher positions. As the UC Davis LGBTQIA Center GSR, she organizes graduate student programming, outreach, research and advocacy. With the Center for Community and Citizen Science she serves as the GSR for CitSci on the Farm.
Publications
Murray, K. A.*, Trexler, C. J., & Cannon, C. E. B. (2020). Queering Agricultural Education Research: Challenges and Strategies for Advancing Inclusion. Journal of Agricultural Education, 61(4). 296-316.
*Awarded Second Runner Up, Article of the Year, 2021 JAE Outstanding Manuscript
San Pedro, T., Murray, K., Gonzales-Miller, S. C., Reed, W., Bah, B., Gerrard, C., & Whalen, A. (2020). Learning-in-Relation: Implementing and Analyzing Assets Based Pedagogies in a Higher Education Classroom. Equity & Excellence in Education, 51(1-2). 177-195.
Murray, K. A., Stollar, M., McClellan, R., King, J., & Hattey, J. (2018). A Systematic Map and Scoping Review of Soft Skill Assessment Instruments for College Students and Peer Mentoring Programs. North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture Journal.
Murray, K. A., & Pullin, A. N. (2018). Advocating for Diversity through Peer Panels. The Agricultural Education Magazine, 90(6). 13-15.
Presentations
Murray, K., Jadallah, C., Turpin, J., Ospina, M., Ellison, R., Abusaa, S., Dynarski, K., Pascoe, E., Drwencke, A., & Godwin, R. (2020). Community, Collaboration, and Care: Feminist Methodologies for Environmental Education Research [Conference Session]. North American Association for Environmental Education, Virtual.
Murray, K.* (2019). Promoting Leadership through Socio-cultural Discussions: Comparing College Students of Agriculture and their Non-Agricultural Peers. Cultivating Change Summit, Des Moines, Iowa.
*Awarded Best of Summit Research Poster Award
Dynarski, K., Murray, K., & Holzer, I. (2018). Engaging girls and nonbinary youth in field-based science and leadership development through a free program in Sequoia National Park. SEKI Science Symposium, Three Rivers, California.
Murray, K., Stollar, M., McClellan, R. (2017). The role of student-participant-researchers in co-constructing knowledge: Designing a participatory evaluation of an established Peer Mentoring Program. Student Affairs Assessment and Research Conference, Columbus, Ohio.
Murray, K., King, J., Hattey, J. (2017). Relationship between Engaging in Socio-Cultural Discussions and Major. North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture Conference, West Lafayette, Indiana.
Murray, K., Stollar, M., McClellan, R., King, J., Hattey, J. (2017). Evaluating Measurements of Leadership for Peer Mentors and Leaders. North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture Conference, West Lafayette, Indiana.
Murray, K. (2017) Resume Building: Transforming Leadership Experience from a Bullet Point to an Interview. Conference of The Ohio LSAMP Alliance: Empowerment through our Shared Vision. Cincinnati, Ohio.
Murray, K. (2017) Resume Building: Transforming Leadership Experience from a Bullet Point to an Interview. Rocky Mountain Peer Leader Conference. Denver, Colorado.
Fink, B. & Murray, K. (2016). Peer Mentoring in STEM: Training for Mentors. Louis Stokes Midwest Center of Excellence Annual Conference. Chicago, Illinois.
Murray, K. & Hattey, J. (2016). Relationship Building Begins Before Day One: Essential Tips to Ensure a Successful First Meeting with Protégés. Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis National Mentoring Symposium. Indianapolis, Indiana.
Westover, M., Brown, K. Murray, K., Hattey, J. (2016). Comparing Mentor and Protégé Demographics. Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis National Mentoring Symposium. Indianapolis, Indiana.
Stollar, M., Murray, K., Hattey, J. (2016). Measuring Soft Skill Development in Peer Mentors. Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis National Mentoring Symposium. Indianapolis, Indiana.
Dempsey, K. Murray, K., Hattey, J. (2016). Expectations versus Reality of the Mentoring Role from the Perspective of a First Time Mentor. Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis National Mentoring Symposium. Indianapolis, Indiana.
Murray, K., Hattey, J., King, J. (2016). Mentoring the Mentor: Supporting Mentor Outcomes in an Innovative College Student Peer Mentoring Program. North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture Conference. Honolulu, Hawaii.
Murray, K. & King, J. (2016). Strengthening Conflict Management and Mediation Skills for 4-H Professionals. Ohio State 4-H Professional’s In-Service Update. Columbus, OH.
Rodriguez, M., Henderson, K, Murray, K. (2016) Teaching Teens to be Better Teachers. Ohio 4-H Conference. Columbus, OH.
Murray, K. & King, J. (2015). Strengthening Conflict Management Skills. Ohio State University Extension Annual Conference. Columbus, OH.
Murray, K. & Pullin, A. (2013). Diversity Initiatives at the Student Level in Agriculture. Diversity Leadership Symposium: Enriching Our Cultural Competencies. Columbus, OH.
Murray, K. (2013) Celebrating the Brand of You: Engaging and Mobilizing Communities as a Student. Alltech International Symposium. Lexington, KY.
Education
PhD in Education – Science & Agriculture Education, University of California, Davis. In progress.
MS in Agricultural Extension Education – Community Leadership, The Ohio State University. 2017.
BS in Agriculture – Animal Sciences, The Ohio State University. 2013.
BS in Biology, The Ohio State University. 2012.
Contact Information
Email: kamurray@ucdavis.edu
Twitter: @kaitmurray471
