10 The Hampton Roads Messenger


Volume 8 Number 6


February 2014


Creating Access to STEM Education for Students of Color


Above photo: This team developed an app to guide bullying victims to resources. photo: Allen Meyer


BY ANNA CHALLET Ed. Note: Since 2001, the Level


Playing Field Institute (LPFI) has worked to help students of color pursue education and careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Late last year LPFI began hosting hackathons, two-day events that give middle and high school students of color the opportunity to build software applications in teams, reporter Anna Challet spoke with Sumaiya Talukdar, the director of strategic partnerships and community engagement at LPFI.


How does LPFI support


students of color in getting into STEM education and careers?


What we do is give low-income


students of color who are underrep- resented in STEM fields a rigorous, innovative summer program called the Summer Math and Science Honors Academy (SMASH). They start in the 9th grade and are in the academy for three summers, during which they take math and science courses at Stanford, UC Berkeley, the University of Southern California, and UCLA. The students who apply have an interest in these programs but don’t necessarily have access to technology, a rigorous STEM curriculum, or teachers who are qualified to teach subjects like computer science, and we’re able to provide those things.


Across the United States, about 23 percent of all college freshmen declare a STEM EDUCATION PAGE 11


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