The UNCF/MERCK Science Initiative (UMSI) announced on Monday that it is awarding 37 scholarships and fellowships to African-American students in biological science and engineering disciplines.
Since 1995, the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) and Merck, one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, have partnered to award scholarships and fellowships to 627 undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students, as a means to address a national problem of the underrepresentation of African-Americans in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math).
According to the National Science Board’s report “Science and Engineering Indicators 2012,” U.S. undergraduates are pursuing degrees in the STEM disciplines at a significantly lower rate than in other countries. Only 16 percent of U.S. undergraduates graduate with a natural science and engineering degree, compared to 24 percent in the EU and 44 percent in China.
Dr. Karl Reid, UNCF senior vice president of Academic Programs and Strategic Initiatives, described the STEM gap as “a huge problem.” Citing Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce STEM report, he explained that around 80 percent of the U.S. economy is driven by technology innovation, while STEM workers hold just 4.4 percent of jobs in the U.S. economy.
“We need an educated workforce to have a full effect and to continue to lead the global economy,” Reid said.
Compounding this problem is that, of those graduating with a degree in a STEM major, only about half are working in STEM after college, and even fewer are working in STEM after 10 years.
Dr. Tshaka Cunningham, UNCF Merck Fellow alumni, explained that training in STEM disciplines teaches students to become problem solvers. As a result, a vast number of jobs, not necessarily in the STEM fields, are available to graduates. In many cases, these non-STEM jobs offer a higher salary. However, he explained that UMSI works to address this by having awards at the graduate and post-doctorate level, the levels at which many tend to leave the field.
