Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Why We Need More Latinos in STEM

Nearly 1.3 million science advocates participated in the March For Science rallies across the globe, including 1,700 in San Antonio, however, the real movement should be in encouraging more youth to enter science, technology, engineering and math careers in the U.S. “Growing up in a Hispanic household taught me perseverance through tough obstacles. That’s a […]

The Latina Who Is Fixing Silicon Valley’s Diversity Problem

Latinos are almost non-existent in the world of venture capital. Only around 1% of all Latino-owned businesses created between 2007 and 2012 in the U.S. received venture capital or angel investments, this is according to a report from the Stanford Graduate School of Business which surveyed 1,800 businesses. One of the reasons for this is […]

Guest Blogger: Rep. Ben Ray Luján “Engaging Minorities in Our Nation’s Energy Future”

I recently had the honor of participating in a congressional forum highlighting the Minorities in Energy Initiative hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy. This initiative seeks to connect diverse stakeholders — businesses, communities, schools, and individuals — to address challenges and opportunities for minority engagement in the energy sector. The spirited discussion included many […]

Comentarios from Maria: “The Importance of STEM Education for Latina Mothers”

Like any mother raising two young children, much of my attention is focused on their education with an eye toward their futures and the opportunities they will have as adults in the workforce. For kids, grade school is the time for fun. But, like it or not, even at early ages schools and parents are […]

Comentarios from Maria: “Strengthening the STEM Pipeline”

From your organization’s perspective, why is it necessary to strengthen the STEM pipeline? And what are the best ways to accomplish it? America faces an acute STEM jobs gap, and what makes the crisis worse is that we aren’t producing enough students trained in those fields to fill those jobs in the future.  STEM-related occupations […]

Comentarios from Maria: “STEM Fund Key To U.S. Global Competitiveness”

Co-Written with John E. Sununu Although the work is not yet complete, advocates for a national fund for science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) and computer science education have reason to be optimistic. Washington is well into its much-anticipated discussion on immigration reform, with a proposal for a broad bill under consideration in the Senate and […]

Comentarios from Maria: “Why the National STEM Education Fund Is So Important”

Occupations in STEM fields are the second-fastest growing in the nation, just behind health care, according to a Georgetown University study. And while the nation is expected to have more than 8.6 million STEM-related jobs available in 2018, as many as three million of those jobs might be unfilled, warns the National Math and Science Initiative. At […]

Comentarios from Maria: “Bipartisan Coalition Bolsters U.S. STEM”

Co-Written with John E. Sununu The sequester’s arrival on March 1 left Americans with more questions than answers about our country’s economic future. Most of all, it epitomized the challenge of finding consensus in the current political climate. That failure makes the bipartisan movement on immigration reform this year all the more impressive — and […]

Comentarios from Maria: “House Steps Up with National STEM Competition”

House Steps Up with National STEM Competition Added Focus Can Help Address Disparities in Math and Science Former Astronaut Jose Hernandez makes a strong case for expanding opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and computer science fields in a recent op-ed saying “it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize we are trailing […]

Latino Democrats Divided over Decision to Approve House STEM Jobs Act

Last Friday, the House of Representatives approved the STEM Jobs Act, an immigration bill that would make 55,000 additional immigration visas available to foreigners. However, in order to expand these kinds of skilled foreign worker visas, the House members voted to eliminate the diversity visa program, which grants visas to immigrants from different countries through […]