Written by Sylvia James, Deputy Assistant Director, Education and Human Resources Directorate, National Science Foundation
In 1983, fresh out of college with a bachelor’s degree in biology, my first job focused on science education, which enabled me to address the issue of limited access for groups historically underrepresented in science. STEM participation rates for women, African Americans, Native Americans and Latinos were much lower than I expected. Unfortunately, 40 years later, work still needs to be done to make science inclusive . Today, as the nation is engaged in conversations about race and equity, we need to reexamine the STEM ...