{"id":4048,"date":"2021-11-10T11:46:19","date_gmt":"2021-11-10T16:46:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/edt431-531\/?p=4048"},"modified":"2021-11-10T11:46:19","modified_gmt":"2021-11-10T16:46:19","slug":"stem-spreading-the-equity-movement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/2021\/11\/stem-spreading-the-equity-movement\/","title":{"rendered":"STEM: Spreading The Equity Movement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Let’s play a game. The rules are simple: tell me how the following groups of people are connected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Round 1:<\/strong> Beyonce, Drake. Justin Bieber. Ariana Grande. Post Malone. Adele.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I bet it was pretty easy to name these six people as famous singers. Let’s do another one!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Round 2: <\/strong>Denzel Washington. Angelina Jolie. Jennifer Lawrence. Tom Hanks. Will Smith. Meryl Streep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This one was also probably a piece of cake. All these names are award winning actors and actresses. Ready for your final round?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Round 3: <\/strong>Albert Einstein. Rosalind Franklin. George Washington Carver. Marie Curie. Isaac Newton. Barbara McClintock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ok, I bet you could use your context clues to figure that one out. But chances are that there might have been some names in that list of scientists that you weren’t familiar with. Why is it that women are much more celebrated in some careers rather than others? And while every career field has a long ways to go in terms of equal representation, science, technology, engineering, and math are especially struggling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s take a look at some data collected by the Pew Research Center about women’s representation in STEM careers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Even though women’s representation has increased in leaps and bounds in some fields, there is still a large underrepresentation in many fields, specifically in physical science, computer science, and engineering. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, Black and Hispanic people are also very underrepresented in these fields. Pew also did research on these groups and found disproportionate representation in many similar fields. Here are there results below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We see this trend because women and minority scientists often face discrimination and mistreatment in these careers. They are passed up for promotions and raises in favor of white men, and deal with prejudice everyday. Also, society in general has convinced these populations that they do not belong in STEM fields. This occurs in our educational systems, governmental institutions, and in our culture in general. This sounds like a pretty bleak outlook, yet there is potential for change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How are we bridging the gap?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately, there is a lot of work happening to encourage underrepresented populations to participate in STEM careers. I want to take some time to highlight a few scientists that are doing groundbreaking work to promote STEM equity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Lyndsey McMillon-Brown<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Women's<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Dr. McMillon-Brown graduated from Miami University with degrees in mechanical and manufacturing engineering. She went on to earn her Ph.D. from Yale, and she now works at NASA as a research engineer. Her research focus is in solar energy, and she also promotes equity in STEM through serving as a NASA Student Ambassador and founding the Society of Women Engineers Grad Chapter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a student ambassador, she has the opportunity to speak to schools about what she does, showing students particularly girls and POC that they can succeed in science!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out this article<\/a> she wrote in Nature<\/em> about implementing diversity and inclusion efforts at scientific conferences!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Bruce Ovbiagele<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Bruce<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Ovbiagele is a Neurology Professor and Associate Dean at University of California, San Francisco researching how to better stroke outcomes in underserved and minority communities in his area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He holds positions on the Minority Scholars Subcommittee and Education Committee of the American Academy of Neurology and uses this influence to promote equity in his field. He also is a visiting professor at Morehouse College School of Medicine where he seeks to encourage a new generation of Black physicians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Laura G\u00f3mez<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms. G\u00f3mez is the CEO and founder of Atipica Inc., a company with a goal to use artificial intelligence to help employers construct teams with greater diversity. She also is a founding member of Project Include, which promotes diversity and inclusion in the technology sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She is passionate for helping girls find their passion in technology and helping them realize that they have so much potential to accomplish great things. In order to advocate for this, she became involved in the TechWomen Program in 2012.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn more about her company below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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