As we age, the number of full circle moments increases. This weekend, I had one of them. The East Suburban Atlanta Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. invited me to speak to a group of kids about my career as an atmospheric scientist. As I engaged with those vibrant students, a mental reflection of myself appeared. I thought about my trajectory as a young Black boy interested in becoming a scientiest and the challenges getting there. These thoughts have consistently framed my perspective on scientific engagement. Such engagement can shape lives and change perceptions.
As an only child of a single mother, I spent a great deal of time catching insects, exploring streams, and monitoring the weather. Entomology and stream ecology were latent career aspirations even though I probably had no clue what they were called at the time. After being stung, I learned of a severe bee sting allergy. That bee sting changed my life. I pivoted to weather and did my sixth grade science project on weather.
There were no scientists within my “radius of influence,” but I was very familiar with Dr. George Washington Carver. My mother is an alumna of Tuskegee Institute (now University) in Alabama, and he was an agricultural scientist at the institution. I read everything about him, and the many innovative things he did with peanuts. He was my first mentor, and I only met him through the pages of books. His “mentorship” inspired me to want to know the “how’s and why’s?” of weather. I was never really interested in the forecasting aspects of meteorology. Decades later and with a couple of National Academies honors under my belt, I am seasoned scientist who is able to engaging with our youth in person and not just through books.
During my youth, not many Black kids were pursuing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers. Fast forward a few decades, that statement is still sadly relevant. Things have slightly improved, but the following facts are still problematic. According to a 2022 Pew Center study, positive perceptions about STEM within the Black American community are low. Their website notes, “To measure perceptions of Black achievement, the Center survey asked respondents if they thought Black people had reached the highest levels of success in each of nine professional groups…. top of these ratings were professional athletes and musicians; scientists and engineers were ranked lowest.”
The study also revealed potential barriers. Cary Funk writes, “The relative lack of visible examples of Black achievement in science and the allied fields of technology, engineering and math is one factor that could deter Black people from deciding to pursue STEM education and careers.” According to a 2023 blog on the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education website, Black students earned, “9 percent of the bachelor’s degrees, 11 percent of the master’s degrees, and just 7 percent of the doctoral degrees.”
Participants in the Pew study also noted that STEM fields felt less welcoming for some racial groups and women. I am the former president of the American Meteorological Society, the largest professional society within the field of atmospheric sciences and related disciplines. AMS data from 2020 placed Black membership at roughly 2%. Candidly, I have occasionally experienced “lack of welcoming” and continue to observe it from different lenses too.
There has also been significant focus on “pipeline” issues, but that assumes one way in and one way out. There are multiple pathways to strengthen an inclusive STEM ecosystem:
- Increase visible examples of achievement from diverse groups.
- Enable vigorous and sustained mentorship.
- Establish the viability of STEM careers as alternatives to cultural perceptions of what successful careers look like (I was asked many times in my career why I did not go into law, businees or become a “real” doctor).
- Focus on retention efforts to keep students and professionals engaged and make them feel welcomed.
- Demonstrate that STEM research and development are better when all ideas are on the table.
This brings me back to the event this weekend. My colleague Dr. Pearl Dowe is Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Political Science and African American Studies at Emory University. We met several years ago as members of a leadership development cohort of the Southeastern Conference. She invited me to partner with Dr. LaTonia Taliaferro-Smith, director of undergraduates laboratories and associate teaching professor at Oxford College of Emory University, on STEM program organized by the East Suburban Atlanta Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc.
According to its website, Jack and Jill of America, Inc. is, “…. A membership organization of mothers with children ages 2 to 19, dedicated to nurturing future Leaders by supporting children through leadership development, volunteer service, philanthropic giving and civic duty.” Colenda Arvelo-Jefferson is a public health analyst for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia. She served as one of the co-sponsors of the event with Dowe. When I asked Arvelo-Jefferson and Dowe why their chapter hosted this opportunity, they said, “We wanted our children to participate in an interactive activity that would expose them to the broad possibilities of STEM careers while introducing them to Black scientists.”
During the weekend event held on the campus of Oxford College of Emory University, Dr. Taliaferro-Smith introduced the six students to research techniques and equipment. She even gave them lab coats to wear. Taliaferro-Smith told me, “When one of the students came into the lab, she made it very clear that she was not excited or interested in anything we had planned for that day because she was extremely tired. But by the end of the lab, she had decided that she wanted to become a ‘cancer scientist’ and that this event was her absolute favorite!”
This testimony underscores the importance of engagement and is consistent with data from the AMS. Many members of my discipline first became interested in atmospheric sciences during elementary or middle school, according to membership surveys. This also suggests that organizations, funding agencies, and institutions seeking to broaden STEM access should target younger age groups with outreach, engagement, and experiences. Frankly, many well-intentioned efforts target students too late in their academic careers.
Before Dr. Taliaferro-Smith engaged with the kids about the biological sciences, I discussed my field of meteorology and the various types of scholars within the broader atmospheric sciences. I joked that they will now have a better understanding of my discipline because most adults assume all meteorologists are on TV. A relatively small percentage of American Meteorological Society members are actually in the broadcast sector. After the opening discussion, we launched into making one of the instruments I crafted in my sixth-grade science project, a mason jar barometer. The kids (and some of the parents) enjoyed it. My affirming moment was when a young man in the group came up to me and said, “Can I give you a hug?”
Taliaferro-Smith went on to tell me, “Moments like these reinforce why we need to not only expose our kids to science, but to also engage them in ways that could potentially be life changing!” She’s not lying. The narratives and circumstances will not change themselves. It will take engagement by STEM professionals, civic organizations, and other institutions. You know what else it will take? Just a little of our time.
