2030STEM Seeks to Achieve Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion by Accelerating Change in STEM
2030STEM, a newly established nonprofit dedicated to accelerating equitable change in STEM, joined leaders at the recent Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) 2022 National Diversity in STEM Conference (NDiSTEM). 2030STEM works to create equity and new pathways of professional opportunity for Black, Latino/a/X, Indigenous and people of color from underrepresented communities.
2030STEM hosted a salon entitled Hear Our Voice, which aggregated existing and identified new strategies to successfully advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion changes in the STEM ecosystem. Hear Our Voice examined collective action to catalyze advancement of the Black, Latino/a/X, Indigenous and people of color STEM workforce. Conference participants had an opportunity to share effective approaches for advancing change in academia, industry and policy that can propel shifts in systemic behavior to support STEM researchers and professionals from underrepresented communities.
The Hear Our Voice session confronted the anemic progress to date to broaden representation in STEM. Blacks, Latino/a/X and Indigenous individuals are still underrepresented, earning only six, eight and 0.2 percent, respectively, of all science and engineering doctoral degrees. Citing these and other data from the National Science Foundation created a powerful conversation for those seeking to transform systems and institutions into welcoming and inclusive spaces for STEM professionals from underrepresented groups.
The 2030STEM salon was a dynamic exchange with researchers and higher education leaders outlining their best practices for sparking systemic action and included:
- Salon Chair Dr. Patricia Silveyra, Associate Professor at the University of Indiana and former SACNAS board member, and 2030STEM Advisory Board member
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Expert panelists:
- Dr. Nataly Manjarrez Orduno, Global Lead, Organization for Latino Achievement at Bristol-Myers Squibb
- Dr. Maggie Werner-Washburne, former SACNAS President and founder of STEM Boomerang
- Dr. LeManuel Lee Bitsóí, Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Brandeis University
- Dr. Yaihara Fortis Santiago, Associate Director, Office of PostDoc Affairs and Trainee Diversity Initiatives at Memorial Sloan Kettering
- Dr. Lilliam Casillas Martinez, Professor of Biology at The University of Puerto Rico
Recommendations from the session will be published in a 2030STEM white paper to be broadly disseminated after the conference.
"Diversity in research and in STEM leadership is not a ?feel good' proposition; it is an imperative to advancing progress in science and technology to benefit all of society," said Dr. Mandë Holford, 2030STEM Co-Founder, professor at Hunter College and the Graduate Center of City University of New York, and research associate at The American Museum of Natural History. "Without full inclusion, research will fail to pursue the extent of questions that address crises in human health, climate change, and technological advancement. The system is static and must be disrupted to create change. We launched 2030STEM to partner with such pioneering organizations as SACNAS to leverage the dynamic and interdisciplinary strength of the scientific ecosystem and accelerate this change by 2030."
"All of our STEM fields need champions that will pave the way for early and mid-career researchers from underrepresented groups," said Dr. Jackie Faherty, 2030STEM Co-Founder and Senior Scientist and Education Manager at The American Museum of Natural History. "These champions will provide networking opportunities, career mentorship, and other benefits that researchers and practitioners from other communities have enjoyed for centuries."
"2030STEM was built to generate solutions for people and places," said Ruth Cohen, interim executive director and strategic advisor of 2030STEM. "We will grow and support a network of professionals from underrepresented groups with greater access to funding and thriving career pathways. At the same time, we will work with institutions to create the cultures and environments that sustain success for all. We partner with SACNAS and others in industry, academia and policy who are dedicated to centering justice, equity, diversity and inclusion as a foundational organizational strategy that drives scientific and technological advancement. As a new, small non-profit, we will work with agility and speed, seeking to advocate for and provide evidence of the effective strategies that can be brought to scale."
"We are excited by our partnership with 2030STEM. For 49 years, SACNAS has worked toward achieving true diversity in STEM, whereby the fields reflect the demographics of the nation," said Pamela Padilla, president of SACNAS. "To achieve such requires institutional-level change. Connecting the wisdom of the SACNAS community to 2030STEM will bring people together, disseminate SACNAS knowledge and co-create systems-level solutions."
To learn more about 2030STEM visit our website, sign up for our newsletter and connect with 2030STEM on LinkedIn.
2030STEM
2030STEM was founded on the principle that Black, Latino/a/X, Indigenous and people of color need to be fully represented across all disciplines and visible in leadership across STEM sectors and industry corner offices. 2030STEM takes a systems-level approach in creating a community of practice that enhances self-efficacy, STEM and cultural identities, and self-advocacy. By addressing systemic barriers in institutional structures and funding mechanisms required to diversify the current STEM population, 2030STEM provides early and mid-career professionals from underrepresented groups with a platform to amplify their perspectives and leadership through salons, publicly available white papers and a fellowship program. https://2030stem.org/
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