The gender disparity in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and math) is not the only hot topic among the scientific community lately.
There’s a growing recognition that the STEM fields are the future of the global marketplace, and that communities, schools and governments need to do everything possible to diversify the people being trained in STEM and getting STEM jobs.
That means addressing not only the low numbers of women in these scientific fields, but also the BIPOC communities, meaning black, indigenous and people of color.
Just a few months ago, about 100 Indigenous educators across Canada gathered to plan for systemic changes in Indigenous land-based education. The gatherings were hosted by the Actua network, a leader in land-based STEM education.
Even as parents and educators across the country struggle to make education work during quarantine and stay-at-home orders, Indigenous students, especially in remote parts of northern Canada, have headed back to the land.
The forum presented a series of seven roundtable events on Indigenous land-based STEM education. The leaders and educators involved hope their efforts will result in improved education for Indigenous students that could represent real steps towards reconciliation.
"Indigenous perspectives play a critical role in the understanding of major issues like climate change, food sustainability, clean water and air and sustainable development. This model of learning can prepare Indigenous students — and all students for their future roles as leaders, innovators, and drivers of social and economic prosperity in their own communities," Jennifer Flanagan, President and CEO of Actua, said in a press release.
Many colleges and universities now offer courses that address the racial disparity in STEM fields while empowering students to address those issues.
At Cornell University, Jae Bucknor was recently featured in a school news release about her experience with a course called Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in STEM: The Science Behind Bias. The course told the history of bias in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.
“I didn’t learn about any person-of-color inventors, scientists, mathematicians or engineers growing up,” Bucknor said. “I feel if that representation were more present, I think I, and a lot of people, wouldn’t be as intimidated to explore STEM fields. And I think that would really help diversify and innovate science.”
More and more, the voices of people of color in the sciences are being amplified, especially in the media. The scientists interviewed in these stories hope that more young people will see that representation and be inspired by it.
In a recent interview, Dr. Maiysha Jones, senior scientist and senior scientific communications manager for Olay Body, said it’s important to encourage young people early on.
“If you look at the STEM disciplines, both women and minority groups fall short of some of the metrics, and there are many reasons for that,” Dr. Jones said. “I think it starts with naturally having an interest in that area when you're young and people around you pushing you to be interested and give the sciences a try. It's a challenging field, but sometimes external voices squash peoples' passion before it really has a chance to develop. We need to encourage the younger generation to just explore and try new things.”
In the US, only about 7 percent of the people who earn STEM degrees are black, so there are very few role models for people of color, according to a special report in Education Week.
The article interviews former professional football player John Urschel, who wrote the New York Times bestseller Mind and Matter: A Life in Math and Football. Urshel, who recently graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a PhD in mathematics, has made it his mission to encourage more students of color to enter STEM fields.
“I would say specifically in mathematics and STEM, one thing that is really important but somehow doesn’t really come across as I would like it to, is that whatever you are doing in math, wherever you are at in math, you are at a given place,” he said. “And that place you are at, meaning what you know and what you don’t, doesn’t say anything about your intelligence level or your ability to do math, and that getting better in math and in quantitative things takes work, it takes time.”
