Gili Freedman, assistant professor of psychology, has received a grant for $49,051 from the Spencer Foundation for her work on “Changing Attributions to Improve Persistence of Women in STEM.” Partnering with Dr. Melanie Green from University at Buffalo, Dr. Freedman will conduct a set of three studies on women’s attributions in STEM fields to explore avenues to increase retention of women in STEM. Prior research suggests that women may make different attributions than men when receiving lower grades in introductory science courses than in other fields. Based upon initial research, Dr. Freedman and Dr. Green will design an intervention to help first-year students make better attributions such as seeing lower grades as an indication of the challenging nature of the courses rather than a lack of ability. The findings from this research will provide valuable knowledge about the attribution processes among women in STEM and new methods of intervening to increase retention.