The Internet has played a significant role in the democratization of STEM learning. However, there is still much work to be done. It can be challenging to find meaningful authentic lessons for STEM learning and hands-on project-based activities. Searching online for the topic “simple machines” will lead to pages and pages of results. Even when one finds a decent looking resource, many of them: Lack scaffolding and supporting materials; Are confusing; Can lead to misconceptions; Only provide surface level learning; Are more like directed crafting; Have limited assessments; Are not aligned to standards. To provide true and equitable access to STEM learning, the communities need access to learning resources that provide fun and engaging guided activities that are inspired and evaluated by STEM educators and STEM professionals. Research has shown that underrepresented minoritized (URM) students studying STEM face many challenges, including inadequate K12 STEM experiences, financial concerns, and hostile academic environments. Teachers may unknowingly discourage URM students to study STEM due to unconscious biases. These factors, combined with the lack of opportunities and limited resources, drive many URM students away from majoring in STEM fields. To help combat these negative influences, teachers and students need STEM activities that are engaging, low-cost, and standards-aligned.

Sylvie Lombardi, senior R&D director at BD, discusses her journey in biomedical engineering and the rewarding impact her work has on physicians and patients in this episode of Diverse. Hear how Lombardi’s childhood dreams of becoming a doctor influenced her path in STEM, her advice for aspiring engineers in the medical technology space, and the growth opportunities that BD provided throughout her career.

Diversifying the science, technology, engineering and math fields has long been a top priority of many universities and tech companies. It’s also a goal of the National Science Foundation, the biggest funder of university-led research and development in the U.S. But in the field of engineering, at least, there hasn’t been a lot of progress in diversifying the academic pipeline beyond white men. The share of engineering bachelor’s degrees awarded to Black students has barely budged over the past decade. Women and Hispanic students fared better, but their respective percentages are still well below their shares of the population as a whole. The shares of engineering professors who are Black or Hispanic are also little changed and remain in the low single digits. Many reasons have been cited for this lack of progress, including stereotypes, lack of exposure, limited role models and the recent backlash against so-called woke policies that emphasize diverse hiring policies. But, as a scholar of STEM education accessibility, I believe there’s another culprit: poorly prepared professors. Unlike the other challenges, it happens to be a much easier problem for universities themselves to remedy.

In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, host Rebecca Midles is joined by Laurie Gagnon, CompetencyWorks Program Director at the Aurora Institute, to explore the transformative power of Competency-Based Education (CBE). Laurie explains how CBE shifts the focus from traditional seat-time requirements to mastering skills and knowledge at an individualized pace. This approach personalizes learning, promotes equity, and empowers students to take charge of their educational journeys. Laurie shares inspiring examples of districts successfully implementing CBE and discusses the systemic changes needed to support this innovative model. The conversation highlights the critical role of equity in CBE frameworks. Laurie addresses misconceptions and emphasizes how thoughtfully designed CBE systems can reduce opportunity gaps while fostering a shared language for clarity in educational transformation. Her insights illuminate the potential of CBE to prepare all learners for future challenges and opportunities.

The world of AI is evolving at breakneck speed, and Lica World is at the forefront, redefining how video content is created. This innovative platform leverages artificial intelligence to generate high-quality videos, offering an accessible solution for content creators, marketers, and businesses alike. But behind this groundbreaking technology is a story of perseverance, grit, and the unique challenges faced by women of color in the tech industry. Lica World started with a vision: to democratize video production. "We wanted to create a tool that would allow anyone, regardless of technical expertise, to produce stunning videos," Mehta explained. The platform uses cutting-edge AI to simplify and accelerate the video creation process, making it ideal for small businesses and creators on a budget. But turning this vision into reality required more than innovation; it required funding, a significant challenge for many startups, especially those led by women of color.

Stories are inspirational. Jamie Zvirzdin shares her story of learning to take herself and her career seriously as a woman. We need stories like these, stories of people who act with courage to overcome challenges. She researches ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays with the Telescope Array Project at the University of Utah. She is the author of Subatomic Writing: Six Fundamental Lessons to Make Language Matter (2023) and writes a monthly science column for newspapers in Central New York. Her science essays have appeared in The Atlantic, Orion Magazine, Brevity Magazine, The Kenyon Review, and others.

Human beings have looked at the stars for tens of thousands of years. Indigenous people have nurtured critical relationships with the stars, from keen observation and sustainable engineering to place-based ceremony, navigation, and celestial architecture. Our relationship with the sky is a deeply rooted part of who we are as a species. The Indigenous relationship and knowledge of the sky is exceptional in that it encompasses mind, body, heart, and spirit. Native Skywatchers Daniella Scalice uses her background in science and the arts to “dance with the stars” via a NASA partnership she has cultivated with members of the Navajo Nation and other partnerships with Indigenous communities across the US and internationally. Her journey from her farming and factory hometown of Torrington, Connecticut, to NASA took many turns to land her as a practitioner of STEAM and an advocate for equity in Indigenous education, by bringing together Indigenous knowledge and astrobiology. As she acknowledges, Torrington is town that sits on land taken from the Mohicans.

The Fall AWIS Magazine is here! This issue of AWIS Magazine spotlights thought leaders and innovators in women’s health equity, like Dr. Carolina Amador, Dr. Joyvina Evans, and Kathryn Schubert.

Welcome to Diverse, a podcast by the Society of Women Engineers. SWE gives women engineers a unique place and voice within the engineering community. On Diverse, they highlight incredible thought leaders and personalities in the STEM community and discover who they are at home, at work, and in between. You can stream episodes online or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

The Academy for Creative Media at the University of Hawai‘i–West O‘ahu (ACMWO) created a plan to use Creative Media as a gateway to engage underrepresented students in STEM concepts — a significant step toward supporting the National Science Foundation’s Broadening Participation in Computing (BPC) initiative. BPC, funded under NSF’s Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering, brings together various stakeholders in the computer science and engineering communities to work toward increasing diversity and inclusion in the fields. The BPCnet Resource Portal provides an opportunity for universities nationwide to submit a Departmental BPC Plan - a document that serves to coordinate BPC activities within a college - and have it read and verified by a BPC Consultant. The ACMWO Departmental BPC Plan was verified on June 3 by BPCnet.