A group of graduate students at the University of Rochester is leading an initiative that encourages more people of color to pursue STEM-related majors and professions. According to the National Science Foundation, 70 percent of scientists and engineers employed full time are white, and underrepresented minorities in those professions earn less than their white co-workers.
The Rochester Chapter of the Alliance for Diversity in Science and Engineering has plans to address the disparities. We hear from members about their goals and their work. In studio:
- Antonio Tinoco Valencia, president of the Alliance for Diversity in Science and Engineering at the University of Rochester, and Ph.D. candidate in organic chemistry
- Shukree Abdul-Rashed, vice-president of the Alliance for Diversity in Science and Engineering at the University of Rochester, and Ph.D. candidate in organic chemistry
- Marian Ackun-Farmmer, social-relations chair for the Alliance for Diversity in Science and Engineering at the University of Rochester, and Ph.D. candidate in biomedical engineering
- Anthony Plonczynski-Figueroa, faculty advisor for the Alliance for Diversity in Science and Engineering at the University of Rochester, and director of operation for the David T. Kearns Center, University of Rochester
