Diversity in STEM Addressed

by Kristi Evans, Northern Michigan University
February 02, 2024

Northern Michigan University’s Biology Department will host Diversity in STEM Week activities Feb. 5-9. On a related note, Associate Professor Diana Lafferty and NMU alumni Tru Hubbard and Sarah Trujillo co-authored a recent scientific journal publication titled “A Path Forward: Creating an Academic Culture of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.” They analyzed faculty hiring data and practices, addressed how a lack of diverse representation impacts STEM disciplines—particularly ecology, evolution and conservation biology (EECB)—and suggested a model for change.

The paper, written with collaborators from North Carolina State University, was published in the December issue of Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America.

“Systemic issues within EECB and other STEM fields result in underrepresented populations being disproportionately lost at each stage of education and professional development,” the article states. “With limited human diversity, faculty-led EECB research may not benefit from innovation and productivity driven by human capital or from the inclusion of ideas from myriad segments of our population. Further, the impact of EECB research and instruction may not reach its full potential if principal investigators are unable to inspire students from underrepresented populations to participate in research programs or effectively convey the implications of their findings to diverse audiences.”

Keep reading: https://news.nmu.edu/diversity-stem-addressed

Read the Bulletin paper: https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/bes2.2117