La Vista
tyrone.taborn@ccgmag.com
STUDY SHOWS LACK OF MINORITIES IN STEM
A new report from the Bayer Corporation shows that regardless of gender, race or ethnicity, interest in science begins in childhood. Yet significant numbers of women and minorities are missing from the U.S. science, technology, engineering, and math workforce today because they were not identified, encouraged or nurtured to pursue STEM studies early on. Nearly sixty percent of the respondents in the new Bayer Corporation survey say they became interested in science by age 11, but forty percent of those surveyed were discouraged from pursuing a STEM-based career at some point in their lives. Sixty percent cited U.S. colleges as the leading place in the American education system where discouragement happens, and 44 percent cited college professors as those most likely responsible for the discouragement. The U.S. K-12 education system falls short, too. On average, the survey respondents give it a “D” for the job it does to encourage minorities to study STEM subjects and a “D+” for girls.
All children have an innate interest in science and the world around them. But for many children, that inter- est hits roadblocks along an academic system that is still not blind to gender or color. As students, they cannot change the fact...But adults can.
The Bayer Facts of Science Education XIV survey polled 1,226 female, African- American, Hispanic and American Indian chemists and chemical engineers, who are members of the American Chemical Society (ACS), about their childhood, academic and workplace experiences that play a role in attracting and retaining women and underrepresented minorities in STEM fields. According to the survey respondents, the top three causes/contributors to under-representation in STEM include lack of quality science and math education programs in poorer school districts, persistent stereotypes that say STEM isn’t for girls or minorities, and financial issues related to the cost of education.
“If we want to achieve true diversity in America’s STEM workforce, we must first un- derstand the root causes of under-representation and the ongoing challenges these groups face,” said Greg Babe, president and CEO, Bayer Corporation. “We want to knock down barriers. If we can do that, we’ll be able to develop the attitudes, behaviors, opportunities and resources that lead to success.”
“This and previous Bayer Facts surveys confirm something I’ve long known – that interest in science is genderless and colorless,” said Dr. Mae C. Jemison, astronaut, medical doctor, chemical engineer and Bayer’s longtime Making Science Make Sense® spokesperson. “All children have an innate interest in science and the world around them. But for many children, that interest hits roadblocks along an academic system that is still not blind to gender or color. “These roadblocks have nothing to do with intellect, innate ability or talent,” said Dr. Jemison. “On the contrary, they are the kinds of larger, external sociocultural and economic forces that students have no control over. As students, they cannot change the fact that they do not have ac- cess to quality science and math education in their schools. But adults can. And we must,” Dr. Jemison said.
www.hispanicengineer.com
MINORITIES DISCOURAGED FROM PURSUING STEM CAREERS MCBRIDE PROMOTED TO DRYDEN FLIGHT RESEARCH
David D. McBride
NASA Administrator Charles F. Bold- en has named David D. McBride direc- tor of the agency’s Dryden Flight Re- search Center on Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Dryden Flight Research Center is one of the space agency’s 10 field centers. McBride will direct all as- pects of facility management, strategy and operations at Dryden. McBride became Dryden’s acting director on April 4, 2009, upon the retirement of former director Kevin L. Petersen. He also served as Dryden’s deputy direc- tor since June 8, 2008, first in an act- ing capacity before his appointment in January 2009.
McBride’s prior assignments include serving as associate director for pro- grams, overseeing a portfolio of cen- ter projects supporting exploration, science, and aeronautics. He also managed NASA’s Flight Research at Dryden. The program expanded aero- space knowledge and capabilities. Ac- tivities included the record-breaking flight of the solar-powered Helios aircraft to over 96,000 feet, the Active Aeroelastic Wing flight project and the revolutionary Intelligent Flight Control System, demonstrating adaptive neu- ral network flight control systems. McBride began his career at Dryden as a cooperative education student in 1982, specializing in digital flight control systems analysis. He earned an electrical engineering degree from University of New Mexico in 1985 and an executive M.B.A. in 1998.
HISPANIC ENGINEER & Information Technology | 2010 7
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