A scientific study has revealed that structural racism is prevalent in academic STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) programs in the United States¹.

Data from 110,000 students across six large research universities was incorporated into the study, which found that white males are still more likely than other groups to earn STEM-related degrees even when they have a poorer academic record.

When students enter college with equal qualifications, white males are rewarded more richly for their grades in introductory courses while students from underrepresented populations are more severely punished.

Their study indicates that it is not the students, but the culture in core introductory STEM courses that is deficient. And this is not the first time racial disparities have been studies in STEM fields.

A 2019 study found that 58% of white undergraduate students who declare a STEM major go on to earn a STEM degree, compared to 43% of Latinx students and 34% of Black students².

A 2020 study found that Black STEM students faced a 57% increased probability of experiencing frequent racial microaggressions from instructors, teaching assistants, and advisers³.

These students aren't just being held back from graduation, their lives are being stifled by disparities that last long after college. Black adults earn only 7% of STEM bachelor’s degrees and only 6% of research doctorates in a nation that is nearly 14% Black. Latinx adults earn just 12% of STEM bachelor’s degrees and 6% of research doctorates in a nation that is nearly 19% Latinx⁴.

There are exceptions to these disturbing trends. the Meyerhoff Scholars Program at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) has trained more than 1,400 STEM graduates, two-thirds of whom are from populations normally underrepresented in STEM and the majority of whom are Black⁷.

Meyerhoff grads Kizzmekia Corbett⁹ and Jerome Adams¹⁰ respectively led the development of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine and became US Surgeon General.

Clearly, some of our brightest minds are being held back by this system in other parts of the country.

It is not fair when underrepresented students are penalized for attributes over which they have no control. We must help underrepresented students thrive. Sign the petition and take action!

More on this issue:

1. Neil Hatfield, Nathanial Brown, Chad M Topaz, PNAS Nexus (September 2022), "Do introductory courses disproportionately drive minoritized students out of STEM pathways?"
2. Catherine Riegle-Crumb, Barbara King, and Yasmiyn Irizarry, Educational Researcher (21 February 2019), "Does STEM Stand Out? Examining Racial/Ethnic Gaps in Persistence Across Postsecondary Fields."
3. Meggan J. Lee, Jasmine D. Collins, Stacy Anne Harwood, Ruby Mendenhall and Margaret Browne Huntt, International Journal of STEM Education (2020), "'If you aren’t White, Asian or Indian, you aren’t an engineer': racial microaggressions in STEM education."
4. Richard Fry, Brian Kennedy and Cary Funk, Pew Research Center (1 April 2021), "STEM Jobs See Uneven Progress in Increasing Gender, Racial and Ethnic Diversity."
5. UMBC, "13 Key Components."
6. Janell Ross, NBC Universal (12 April 2020), "Working on coronavirus vaccine trials, Kizzmekia Corbett is 'not your average' scientist."
7. Purdue University, "Jerome Adams, MD, MPH, FASA."