Dr. Liv Blackmon, Director of the Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) STEM Accelerator, and colleagues are leading a new national effort to "create an equitable and inclusive educational ecosystem" of STEMM opportunities in higher education, says Blackmon.
As highlighted in an ORAU article about the initiative, the new national strategy aims to "help 20 million people from historically excluded and marginalized communities enter, contribute to, and thrive in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics and Medical (STEMM) fields."
Dr. Blackmon and colleagues from ORAU are involved in the higher education pillar of the national strategy: "This pillar focuses on creating opportunities for all in higher education, ensuring higher education programs are designed to support the talent development of all people and create systems and policies that will support the development and retention of STEMM faculty from historically excluded and marginalized populations."
The STEMM Opportunity Alliance (SOA) is a national effort by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in collaboration with the White House.
Dr. Blackmon earned her PhD in Sociology from George Mason University and is a Faculty Affiliate of the Institute for Immigration Research (IIR).