Students Talk Science - COVID-19: The importance of diversity in STEM

Students Talk Science: COVID-19 Vaccine Outreach Project
Interview with Dr. Monica Webb Hooper, Deputy Director, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, NIH
Question: What do you think is most important about having diversity in the STEM fields, and what do you think it will take to have a completely diverse field in science?
In 2021, the Students Talk Science Outreach Project brought together students from the CSHL DNA Learning Center’s high school minority enrichment program (STARS STEM) and a partner - Red Cloud Indian School - to have student-driven conversations about COVID and minority health care disparities. We believe high school students have a powerful and informed voice that can start conversations and help shape? the opinions of their families, peers, and communities.
By the beginning of 2021, Black, Brown, and Native communities have been hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, with a vaccine that has the potential to end the pandemic, people in these communities are making choices about vaccination. These choices may be impacted by mistrust due to a long history of racism and discrimination that persists today. Therefore, we wanted to focus on the concerns of students from these communities and discuss how we can solve challenges caused by the pandemic and those that existed before it. This format not only credits the high school students with the responsibility of using their education to support their communities, but also prepares them to take on these challenges as they become the next generation of doctors, scientists, and professionals.
For more information on this project, and links to more information about the science of COVID and the problems of health care disparities, visit our website: dnalc.cshl.edu/resources/stud...

[@maxgluteus4263]

I'm all for STEM in ethnic minority groups. The question is how do you make that change. I think It's cultural , And the family should bear the most responsibility. For example students from different ethnic background went to the same school , In the end certain group fare better than others then the deciding factor is family not the school.

[@DerekOfRivia]

It does start at home. I'd wager less then 15% of parents in the US. 2021 read books or bedtime stories to their children. That says a lot about the culture as a whole.
Break it down further to just the black community as this lady mentions and the culture is even worse towards STEM education. Thats because for 60 years now an education has been looked at as taboo or "the white mans" by a large majority of their community.

[@maxgluteus4263]

@@DerekOfRivia That's correct in the old days all the way to middle ages the parents would teach their kids to do farming or metal smithing. Now parents send their kids to School, out sourcing education. I don't know what you said about the black Community household, But my point is this Stem, Especially engineering and Medicine One shouldn't lower the bar to ensure the quota and diversity. Same reason when you walk into a airplane you don't care about the gender ethnicity of the pilot you just want to have a one that knows how to fly and Handle all the situations.