Academia

It is no secret that the current STEM education and training system in our country is broken. Diversity is clearly lacking. Underrepresented African-American, Latino, and Native-American students represent 34% of the U.S. population but earn only 12% of undergraduate degrees in science and engineering. Moreover, only 5% of U.S. doctoral degrees are conferred to underrepresented students. Not surprisingly, less than 10% of STEM professionals in our academic and industrial workforce come from underrepresented backgrounds. Thus, the homogeneity of our STEM workforce does not reflect the diversity of our communities, innovation has begun to stall, and if not addressed, will jeopardize global health and our economy in the 21st century and beyond.

BDIS is dedicated to solving this diversity crisis through three revolutionary platforms: cutting-edge STEM curriculum, nationwide conferences, and personalized mentorship programs. Universities and colleges play important roles in these efforts. Academic Institutions throughout the nation have donated resources including financial support, academic speakers, meeting spaces and conference volunteers. They have been paramount to the promotion of BDIS amongst a student population that often feels isolated in their academic pursuits.

In turn, BDIS programs are instrumental for undergraduate schools to recruit, retain, and successfully graduate underrepresented students in STEM majors. For high schools, BDIS offers the Optimizing STEM Students (OS2) program. A comprehensive curriculum and pipeline for high school students to continue college pursuits in STEM. High schools are also encouraged to send underrepresented student population to a Scientific Empowerment Movement Conference (SEM) conference which exposes high school students to STEM fields. Higher level academic institutions are encouraged to learn about the Infinite Possibilities Conference (IPC) for women in math, a truly inspirational event that has touched thousands of women in this field.