NOMA participates in White House Workshop on STEM Minority Inclusion

On Monday, February 11, 2013, the Obama Administration held a White House Workshop on STEM
Minority Inclusion, at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.  NOMA and
twenty-five representatives from STEM professional societies that focus on
increasing participation of underrepresented minorities were invited to attend. 
Among the groups attending were American Assn of Blacks in Energy (AABE), Black
Data Processing Associates, MAES: Latinos in Science & Engineering, National
Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists & Chemical
Engineers (NOBCChE), National Society of Black Engineers-Alumni Extension
(NSBE), National Society of Black Physicists (NSBP), National Technical Assn
(NTA),  and Society for Advancement of Chicanos & Native Americans in
Science (SACNAS), Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), National
Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME), American Indian Science
& Engineering Society (AISES), The National GEM Consortium, National Assn of
Black Geoscientists, Institute for Broadening Participation, National Society of
Hispanic Physicists, Hispanic Heritage Foundation, Hispanic Youth Institute
(part of Hispanic College fund), Excelencia in Education, Asian Pacific Islander
American Assn of Colleges & Universities, National Congress of American
Indians, Great Minds in STEM, and the National Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical Assn.

Dr. John P. Holdren, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and
Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy opened the meeting with
remarks about the desire of the Obama Administration to make inroads to better
equip graduates for the demands of a high-tech economy and create classes
focused on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) studies.
 
The three-hour long session included discussions regarding Leadership
and Policy Opportunities, K-12 Education, Out-of-classroom science experiences
for youth, STEM jobs of the future, Increasing federal employment opportunities
for minority STEM professionals, media campaigns, and entrepreneurship &
innovation. Kathy Dixon AIA, NOMA, the current NOMA President, attended the
workshop on behalf of the organization.  The group is expected to move forward
on ideas developed during the Workshop.  Ideally, the next steps will involve
implementation strategies.

Outside observers included representatives from  the White House HBCU initiative, White
House Initiative on Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders, White House
Initiative on Historically Black Colleges & Universities, Bureau of Indian
Education, Commodities Futures Trading Commission, American Association for the
Advancement of Science (AAAS), Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the
Department of Education.

NOMA