DEI Collab: Diversity in STEM
Diversity promotes the acknowledgment of different people, and a lack of it can exclude intelligence and talent. It is recognized that diversity increases the quality of science, and can bring in perspectives that are essential for a holistic view of the sciences. It is recognized that diversity is critical in the enrichment of academia, and it’s been pushed by organizations at the forefront. Right now, in academia and specifically in STEM fields, diversity is still lacking.
The need for diversity with regard to race has been well established, even though the work needed is far from over. The work published by predominantly white persons is evident in scientific academia has been instilled into us, and the work to broaden the knowledge and understanding is just getting started. From the foundations, science textbooks in school are still overwhelmingly eurocentric, and cis-hetero-male-centric. From the erasure of Marie Curie to the overemphasis of European male scholars, the scientific community is very much based on a predominantly white foundation. One way that this has posed a problematic mentality is through the lack of minority representation and misunderstanding of science. When the education and the scientific journals that the general public receives/read are largely based on a perspective that excludes a myriad of others, the knowledge we gain has an inherent bias. If anything, it detracts from the wholesome truth of the knowledge itself. If we exclude other perspectives on a subject, how much of the truth are we really receiving?
A lot of social scientific studies, as well as other STEM publications, include factors of diversity such as race, ethnicity, age, and gender, but exclude the factor of socioeconomic backgrounds, and diversity in other ways. These perspectives should be included in the overarching of ‘diversity’. It’s a necessity because, without it, science is simply a one-way path. Perhaps diversity in backgrounds of mental health, of growing up, of neurodiversity, and of experiences would also impact the sciences. It’ll provide a more detailed view of a very complex field, and something that I personally believe would be very impactful. Diversity is everything from race, ethnicity, to experiences with trauma, neglect, and privilege. It’s the diversity in thoughts and beings that really give way to meaningful science.
But then the question that’s posed is: How do we, as a society, exactly solve this problem? Can we incorporate a diversity of thought, backgrounds, experiences into our STEM lives? The answer is always: Yes. Absolutely, we can try. We can start by realizing that the term diversity encompasses everything, and shouldn’t be restricted. Next, by implementing possible educational or academic inclusionary statements for the term ‘diversity,’ it’ll be a ground-up solution that could lead to further awareness.
Perhaps these are just the start, but the main conclusion is that: Diversity isn’t limited, and the important factor is the differences that contribute to what makes us different, and human.
