Philly.com – Darren Glass
“The world is filled with stories of people from unexpected backgrounds who turn out to have hidden talents that shake the world. In the music world, this is the very premise behind television shows like American Idol, and sports is filled with superstars who grew up in poverty. When it comes to science, however, we have a much worse track record at identifying and nurturing talent across all races, genders, and socioeconomic classes, even within our own country. A recent study indicates that less than 10 percent of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) workforce in the United States identifies as either African American or Hispanic, though these two groups make up nearly 30 percent of the population. Women are only a quarter of the employees in scientific jobs in the United States.”(more)