Operation STEM
By Dina Horwedel
Hispanic organizations are on a mission to get more students to pursue the sciences.
For the first time in the 30-year history of the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science, the organization is
focusing on the nurturing of scientific talent in preschoolers and very young children.
SACNAS, whose mission is to encourage Chicano/Latino and American Indian students to pursue graduate education and advanced degrees in the sciences, has long focused on K-12 teacher education to prepare students for science, technology, engineering and mathematics studies on the college level. Until now.
Until now, because the country’s growing Hispanic population has not translated into increasing numbers of Hispanic students entering or graduating with degrees in STEM disciplines. Organizations such as SACNAS and the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities want to change that, recognizing that STEM fields hold the key to America’s future competitiveness.
