Perspectives on Broadening Participation in STEM Careers across Academia, Government, and Industry

Abstract

Bias, defined as prejudice for or against something/someone, is a central component of our understanding of everyday life. In particular, the technology that you interact with daily and the teams that you work with help to inform your biases. For minority populations in technology, often being the lone representative for diverging perspectives, the inclusion of potentially harmful bias in technology projects is easily discernable, even if it has proven near impossible to resist. The ethical use of data has been given more attention lately for good cause. Interpretations driven from unethical handling of data can have far-reaching consequences. The other component is ensuring participation from data science research inception. The shaping of how questions are asked informs the data and methods used to answer those questions but also defines the manifestation of bias in our research. Unfortunately, the participation of ethnic and gender minorities is not enthusiastically considered across professional workspaces. This is especially true for an entry-level position that requires a leap of faith when hiring individuals from diverse backgrounds. While there are gaping holes throughout the progression of STEM professionals' careers (e.g. promotion to senior-level positions), a glaring need is an improved approach to providing opportunities to early-career technologists from diverse backgrounds. How do we develop a pipeline that promotes ethnic and gender diversity in STEM fields? Various initiatives have sought to lessen the gap between the white/Asian male domination in technology and other groups. Professional/social organizations that seek to assemble similar subsets of the larger technology workforce have become a popular networking resource. Also, boot camp-style programs that seek to engage pre-professional groups with technical skills (i.e. girls who code) actively train participants within STEM. An additional step that is needed, however, is for young career professionals to be given the very first opportunity to enter the technology workspace. The influx of increasingly diverse populations with equally diverse perspectives on technology and its application/interpretation will improve our ability to build inclusive artificial intelligence while also challenging persistent bias within technology. The need for high-level technologists to bring along early career professionals has never been clearer. An initiative is being developed to encourage small businesses to improve their hiring practices for ethnic and gender minorities. This is being done through mentorship that extends from an academic environment into a professional setting. Ensuring that all technology teams are inclusive and diverse. Having young professionals available from a contract perspective allows for their access to efforts that allow them to continue to build their professional portfolio. This is an ongoing effort that is being prototyped in the Washington DC area for a small business that serves academic, governmental, and industry.