Empowering Underrepresented Students in Science and Engineering

13min Snip

00:00

Play full episode

Summary

Transcript

Episode notes

This chapter explores the creation of programs like the Meyerhoff program at the University of Maryland and UMBC aimed at supporting underrepresented students in excelling in math and science. It delves into the challenges faced by Black students in academia and the importance of providing opportunities and resources to promote diversity in scientific fields. The chapter culminates in celebrating the achievements of underrepresented communities, such as the development of the Moderna vaccine by a Black female scientist.

Growing up in Alabama in the 1960s, mathematician Freeman Hrabowski was moved to join the civil rights moment after hearing Martin Luther King Jr speak. Even as a child, he saw the desperate need to make change. He would go on to do just that — at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, where he co-founded the Meyerhoff Scholars Program, one of the leading pathways to success for Black students in STEM subjects in the United States.

Freeman is the subject of the first in a new series of Q&As in Nature celebrating ‘Changemakers’ in science — individuals who fight racism and champion inclusion. He spoke to us about his about his life, work and legacy.

Career Q&A: I had my white colleagues walk in a Black student’s shoes for a day

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.