FIU #1 in awarding STEM degrees to minorities

By Susan Feinberg

FIU ranked first in the nation in awarding STEM degrees to underrepresented minorities in a recent study published by The Commission on Professionals in Science and Technology on completed degrees in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) for 2007.

For the first time, the university led the nation in producing 1,527 minority STEM graduates. The ranking includes the broad fields of physical sciences, geosciences, mathematics and computer science, engineering, life sciences, social and behavioral sciences, science and engineering technologies, and interdisciplinary and other science degrees.

At a time when STEM fields are increasingly important to our national security, health and competitiveness, the U.S. is not producing the diverse pool of scientists and engineers we need to fuel our future.

There’s a great need to attract more minority students into the STEM fields to replenish the ranks of national scientists and recruit future teachers for South Florida and Miami-Dade County, which is one of the largest school districts in the country.

FIU is successfully addressing this challenge by attracting a large number of students from the richly diverse South Florida community and developing university-wide programs that funnel minority students into STEM disciplines.

The university is one of the leading participants in the Science and Mathematics Teacher Imperative (SMTI), developed by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU). The program is dedicated to increasing the diverse pool of highly qualified math and science teachers across the country.

Among university-wide initiatives to cultivate STEM graduates is a unique collaboration between the Department of Physics and the College of Education aimed at improving and promoting the education of future physics and physical science teachers, including traditionally underrepresented minorities. The multidisciplinary team is participating in the PhysTEC (Physics Teacher Education Coalition) project, which is led by the American Physical Society, the American Association of Physics Teachers, and the American Institute of Physics.

“This national recognition highlights FIU’s unique status as one of the very few top-tier public research universities that’s also a majority/minority institution serving the community,” said Ken Furton, dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. “Any time you reach #1 status, people rightly take notice.”