Building Future Engineers for Our Nation

February is one of my favorite months. The hustle of the holiday season is well behind us, but the excitement of the new year is still energizing. February also commemorates Black History Month, a time for us to honor, reflect and celebrate the many achievements made by African Americans – both past and present.

I kicked off the month at the 2019 Black Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA) and STEM Conference and enjoyed celebrating the accomplishments of so many talented trailblazers who were honored at the event, including more than 30 Lockheed Martin innovators. Yet, I was most inspired by the energy and enthusiasm of all the students who attended this year’s conference, including many from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs).

Seeing hundreds of aspiring engineers of color excited to pursue their futures was very exhilarating, especially as our nation continues to face a talent crisis that is projected to leave more than 1 million advanced technology jobs unfilled. While this is a troubling statistic, it isn’t surprising. America’s minorities aren’t pursuing STEM degrees at the same rate as other peer groups.

When it comes to the U.S.’s ability to continue to prosper in a world economy driven by advanced technologies, a population of color that continues to be underrepresented in STEM is more than troubling; it is a national security crisis. By 2020, it’s projected that people of color will comprise 45 percent of our nation, and by 2065 that number will be 54 percent. The STEM readiness of students of color directly impacts our nation’s future, and it is imperative that we find immediate ways to increase the number and diversity of STEM graduates.

Institutions across the U.S. are focused on increasing the STEM pipeline. And HBCUs and MSIs are beacons of hope for our young people of color and are an important piece of the solution to our talent crisis. For more than 150 years, these institutions have been instrumental in encouraging more people of color to pursue higher education. Their community-focused approach helps ensure that quality higher education is not only obtainable by our most underrepresented communities, but that students are set up for long-term success, as well.

While HBCUs only make up 3 percent of colleges and universities, they produce more than 25 percent of African-American students with bachelor's degrees in STEM fields – a testament to the power of these institutions. While today, students have many post-secondary educational options, it wasn’t long ago that HBCUs were the only institutions of higher education that black Americans were able to attend. And today, HBCUs continue to be a vital resource in our nation's educational system.

I’m proud of Lockheed Martin’s long-standing relationships with HBCUs and MSIs. Our commitment spans financial support, curriculum development, mentoring opportunities and hands-on learning experiences. Rotary and Missions Systems, my business area within Lockheed Martin, is expanding our MSI and HBCU recruiting program to bring STEM job candidates to Lockheed Martin for two days of teambuilding, networking and interviewing workshops followed by a day of actual job interviews. Our dedicated and robust partnership has led to Lockheed Martin being named the Top Corporate Supporter of Historically Black Colleges and Universities Engineering Programs by the deans of the 15 Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) accredited HBCU engineering programs and corporate-academic alliance Advancing Minorities’ Interest in Engineering (AMIE) five years in a row.

There’s no doubt that HBCUs and MSIs are important incubators for STEM talent. Yet, there needs to be a collective effort from all of us to inspire more diverse students into STEM education. We must find more ways to spark their interest early and introduce them to the wonders of STEM at these incredible institutions and others across the country.  

So, whether it’s volunteering with an after-school group, talking to students about STEM jobs at a career day or mentoring an aspiring innovator – we all have a role to play in cultivating diverse STEM talent. Please share your innovative STEM engagement idea by leaving a comment below. After all, we are not just doing this to develop engineers for our companies, we are building future engineers for our nation.