Name me a scientist. Now name me five more. Now, what do they all have in common? If I was a betting man, I’d bet that you just named me six white male scientists. Am I right? Yeah? That’s unfortunate, isn’t it?
Now, try to name me a scientist that isn’t an old white man. How many can you name? If you can name me more than three, I’d be tickled pink. If you can’t name more than three, then that’s alright, but it has to change. There needs to be a bigger push for minorities in the STEM fields.
Let’s Get Some Stats Up In Here
Nothing says convincing like some delicious statistics, fresh off the press. Here are some of my favorite:
- According to OnlineColleges.net:
- Less than 20% of the people who study STEM fields at the collegiate level are women
- Less than 7% of people who study physical sciences are minorities
- According to nsf.gov:
- Less than 10% of STEM degrees handed out between 1995-2014 were to African Americans
- Less than 2% of engineering degrees between 1995-2014 were to African American females
Now, these are not pretty numbers. In fact, these are some of the ugliest numbers I have ever seen. But how do we fix them? BY GETTING MINORITIES INTO STEM!
How to get Minorities into STEM
In order to get more non-white, cis-gendered men into this fantastic field of wonder and creativity, there has to be a push from the privileged. There needs to be more people on the top vying for those less fortunate. I’m not talking charity work here, I’m talking about people who can use their places of influence to do just that: influence.
- People with privilege need to advocate for a minority push
- Minorities need to be encouraged at a young age
- Minorities (especially women) need to be shown that the sciences are just as important as their other subjects
- Things like after-school clubs, mentorships, and summer camps are fun ways to get kids involved in STEM
Here is a video about an app called Gidget that is helping get women and minorities into STEM
What Will I Do?
If you couldn’t already tell, I am extremely passionate about getting more minorities into STEM fields. You know what they say, “be the change you want to see,” so here are some ways that I plan on helping get the diversity gap to completely close
- Host clubs focused on minorities in STEM
- Teach my students about different minorities, attempting to have at least one scientist for every demographic in my class
- Provide interactive and fun examples of STEM in my classroom so that everyone can be excited and interested in STEM
- Advocate for the minorities that I will have, and give them as many resources as possible so that they can succeed
Diversity strengthens not only us as scientists, but also as people. Having more diversity in the STEM fields will do nothing but improve on what we already have. As educators, it is our JOB to give every student a fighting chance! @AnnMacKenzie #EDT431 #NSTA
— Mr. Thomas (@BryceSBThomas) November 15, 2018
Bryce,
I loved your blog! I really appreciated the fact that you addressed ways that everyone can advocate for minorities in STEM, but I absolutely loved that you also addressed specific ways that YOU will advocate for minorities in STEM in your own classroom and school. I feel like the video about the Gidget app is a great way to show people how they themselves can work on their STEM skills, no matter their age, gender, or race.
Hi Bryce! I found your stats to be very troubling, especially the one that states that less than 7% of people studying physical sciences are minorities! Do you have any ideas as to why physical sciences in specific, such as chemistry, physics, and geology, are so underrepresented by minorities? Aside from the statistics, I found the rest of your blog incredibly inclusive and up-lifting. I completely agree that these statistics can be changes at the large scale, and also within our classrooms. I really like that you want to be some sort of advisor for a STEM club. This allows you to personally invite your students who may be hiding a bit from the STEM subjects. How would you get a student interested in a STEM club if he or she is showing no interest in the STEM activities done in your classroom? How do you get your students pumped about STEM, especially physical sciences? Nice blog! 🙂
Bryce, first I would like to say how much I enjoyed reading your blog. The title is very catchy, and it made me want to continue reading. I also like the picture that shows the statistics of minorities in a STEM field. When you go into more detail about the statics after the picture, it allows us to get a better understanding of the statistics that you are showing. Your ideas of how to get minorities into stem are all good ideas. Especially when you said, “Things like after-school clubs, mentorships, and summer camps are fun ways to get kids involved in STEM.” I believe that those are some of the best ways to show students what STEM is and how awesome it can be. The video choice is a very good one. I like that the app can help get women and minorities into STEM. I also like what you will do as a teacher to involve more minorities in STEM. Once again overall great post!
Bailey
Thanks Bailey, I’m glad you liked it!
Bryce,
I loved reading your blog! Your first paragraph really gets the reader thinking right off the bat, and immediately catches interest. Also, I’m sure most people aren’t aware of how many scientists they don’t know of because of the minority issue. I also agree with you, that there needs to be a push from the privileged. How else would this problem be solved?
I have never heard of that app before! I think it’s great because any age group can use it. I also like all of the ideas you have on how you are going to make a difference.
And I believe that a person’s interests begins at a young age, and that could be where someones interest in STEM begins! Do you agree? I especially like how you are going to attempt to have one scientist for every demographic. This blog really brings out your passion for this subject, I love it!
Katie
Thanks, Katie! I’m glad you liked my blog! Also, I completely agree that interests begin at a young age, so if we want to get kids into STEM we have to start early!