Growing the STEM
By Mai Browne
This transformation made my life complicated, as I hung out with a crowd of aspiring artists and writers who thought it was uncool to be interested in the sciences. Their attitude was: Sure, science is meaningful, but it is for geeks. Cool people pursue arts and literature.
But I knew that you could love both the arts and the sciences and not be odd. My father, an economist and opera buff, was proof of that. He encouraged me to follow my passions and not bend to narrow-minded edicts.
Nevertheless, when it came time to focus on college and career, I defected from biology. Peer pressure and stereotyping swayed me, but the primary factors that steered me away were self-doubt, insufficient encouragement and a weakness in math. I was also concerned that the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) community was extremely homogeneous (In 1980, minority representation in STEM fields was 2.3%, according to a National Science Foundation study).
The Salk Institute for Biological Research was probably a fascinating place to work. But it was also a place where people of color were as rare as nonbreeding fruit flies. I couldn’t imagine feeling comfortable hobnobbing in that community. While my father offered me a role model of a black scientist, he was the only one I knew of. He was the exception to a persistent trend.
I went on to build a career in public relations, a field that allows me to write about a variety of subjects, including arts and culture. But sometimes I wish I had had the nerve and discipline to pursue a science career.
It’s no secret that the U.S. desperately needs more science professionals. Growing our STEM workforce is critical to maintaining our leadership in the global marketplace. And with women and minorities comprising an increasingly large portion of the workforce, STEM fields must attract a proportionate share of them if the U.S. economy is to grow and stay competitive.
Underrepresented minorities (African-Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans) represent 28.5 percent of the U.S. population but only 9.1 percent of college-educated Americans in the science and engineering workforce, according to The National Academy of Sciences 2010 report — “Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation: America’s Science and Technology Talent at the Crossroads.”
The U.S Government, research groups and academia have been addressing this problem with various solutions, including early intervention initiatives, as well as pipeline programs to increase minority recruitment, retention, graduation and enrollment in STEM graduate programs or careers.
PR professionals can help support this movement by donating their expertise to programs that advance STEM diversity. I provide media relations support to the BioBus, an interactive microscopy lab on wheels for K-12 students across the Northeast, including low-income school districts. Aboard the BioBus, students participate in inquiry-based, hands-on experimentation aided by research scientists from Columbia, NYU, Princeton and other top-tier universities.
The students can also find relatable role models, such as Dr. Latasha Wright, a BioBus Staff Scientist. Dr. Wright has a B.S. in chemistry from Tougaloo, a historically black college in Mississippi, and a Ph.D. from NYU Langone Medical Center in cell and molecular biology. She continued her scientific training at Johns Hopkins University and Weill Cornell Medical Center, and has co-authored numerous publications and presented her work at international and national conferences.
Says Dr. Wright: “We are seeking to change the public perception of what a scientist is. Seeing young, diverse, ‘normal’ people as scientists has changed a lot of peoples’ perceptions. I cannot tell you how many times people have asked me, “You are a scientist?”
Dr. Wright, you are a cool scientist in a hot field!
Like STEM, the Public Relations industry is also on a mission to increase the representation of blacks and Hispanics in its workforce. A key strategy is using industry representatives from minority groups to serve as role models and spokespersons in the media. One can easily name a top STEM spokesperson of color: astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, who has become a popular communicator for the sciences. But what about in the PR field? Who will be our Neil deGrasse Tyson?
Mai Browne is a public relations consultant. She has held PR positions at Deloitte, AT&T and The Morgan Guaranty Bank.