New Mexico State University is among 35 institutions nationwide joining a new Action Collaborative on Transforming Trajectories for Women of Color in Tech launched by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The collaborative includes institutions representing higher education, national laboratories and government.
While women of color currently make up 39 percent of the female population in the United States, they earn less than 10 percent of the bachelor’s degrees and less than 5 percent of doctorates awarded in computing. Women of color also remain underrepresented in the tech workforce, and the numbers of women from some racial and ethnic groups have even declined. Black women hold 3 percent of tech jobs, Latinas hold 1 percent, and Native American/Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander women hold 0.3 percent.
“Innovation in the tech and computing domains, especially with the rapid rise of Artificial Intelligence, demands equitable representation and inclusion of all voices,” said Enrico Pontelli, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and Regents Professor of Computer Science. “Our institution has invested almost two decades of efforts in exploring how to improve participation of women in computing – this is something we deeply believe in and we are committed to make a difference. We are proud of the opportunity offered by the National Academies and we believe NMSU has an important role to play in this initiative.”
Founding members of the Action Collaborative met Dec. 6-8 to launch the project, which over the next four years will provide financial support for the collaborative and commit to raising awareness, sharing practices, and developing, implementing or evaluating efforts each year aimed at recruiting, retaining and advancing women of color in tech.
“There are many studies that show that diverse working teams are more efficient and produce more effective solutions and designs,” Pontelli said. “Right now, we are missing half of the potential talent.”
In a 2019 analysis by the Chronicle of Higher Education, NMSU ranked among the top 25 four-year universities for enrolling and graduating women in computer science. Pontelli credits Young Women in Computing, a program he started in 2006, with boosting the number of women studying computer science at NMSU from 8% to 21%.
NMSU’s Young Women in Computing program, part of the National Science Foundation’s Broadening Participation in Computing Initiative, has impacted more than 15,000 students.
Through the action collaborative, organizations will work together to improve pathways in tech education and participation in the tech workforce for women who identify as African American, Black, Hispanic, Latina, Native American, Asian American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander. The effort will be guided by the National Academies’ report Transforming Trajectories for Women of Color in Tech, which provides evidence-based findings and recommendations for increasing recruitment, retention and advancement of women of color in tech fields.
“Women of color face amplified barriers and biases that can impede their progress and limit their opportunities in STEM and in tech,” said Gilda Barabino, chair of the National Academies’ Committee on Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine and president of the Olin College of Engineering. “Through this effort, we will work together to dismantle these barriers and foster an environment where every woman, regardless of her background, has the chance to thrive and contribute to cutting-edge developments in science and technology.”
The action collaborative will offer a platform for the exchange of ideas and promising practices, taking an intersectional approach that recognizes the multifaceted nature of barriers shaped by race, gender, and other factors.
For more information, visit nationalacademies.org.
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CUTLINE: New Mexico State University is among 35 institutions nationwide joining a new Action Collaborative on Transforming Trajectories for Women of Color in Tech launched by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. In the photo, a group of middle school girls work together in NMSU’s Young Women in Computing program, which has contributed to raising the percentage of women pursuing computer science at NMSU from 8% to 21%. (NMSU photo)