STEM EEEEEEEcho system: Breaking reflections and reverberations…

As another year draws to a close, it is time to look back on the year it was and highlights are being recapped. For many, perhaps nothing encapsulates 2021 like the image of the Ever Given stuck in the Suez Canal. For almost a week we were seemingly mesmerized and watched the action unfold as the ultra-large container vessel (ULCV) got wedged horizontally in the narrow waterway, blocking the canal and halting all movement of billons of dollars of cargo. It took ditch diggers, excavators, tugboats and the help of tides, created by the gravitational tug of the moon, to finally free the Ever Given. While the ship was stuck, the metaphorical memes flooded the internet. It was also a stark realization of what it really takes to get goods transported globally and the risks and vulnerabilities in the system that were virtually hidden from the everyday consumer. A single ship, an isolated event, brought about cascading impact and global supply chains are still reverberating months later.

In many ways it was a perfect storm with the high demand for goods rebounding, the increasing number of containers piled high in ULCVs and the impact of high winds on such high loads. Human error may have played a role as well, given the demand for speed, efficiency and low cost pressuring the crews to navigate the narrow waterway despite high winds. Instead of speeding things up, it led to a grinding halt and set-off a domino of disruption at a global scale. It was fascinating to people, specifically as it related to a year where we felt somewhat stuck with the pandemic. No surprise, it made it into urban vocabulary to signify a situation or object(s) that slows or halts an operation that should have been preventable.

Sounds good

But a lot was moving along this year as well. We entered the year with certainty that the year would be rife with uncertainty, unlike 2020, which delivered a shock we weren’t prepared for. This year, as the vaccines started rolling out there was heightened sense of optimism. On a personal front, I was finally able to travel to India to visit family and that remains a highlight of 2021 for me. As far as stepping outside my comfort zone, something I had resolved to do, I call it a success because I stretched – vocal cords and all. I recorded a song that I wrote and all proceeds from downloads go to United Way. The song was my attempt to memorialize the year as we approach the anniversary of the onset of the social justice awakening right here in Twin Cities.

On the science advocacy front we were excited to share 2021 results of 3M State of Science Index (SOSI) which included 17 countries this time, our highest ever. It was great to see that the trend for 2020 continued in that trust in science remained high and skepticism low with 89% around the world saying science gives me hope.?Another highlight of 2021 was a very thrilling project and an exciting premiere of 3M docuseries ‘Not the science Type.’ The most rewarding moment of the year, however, was meeting the first scholarship recipient from the sales of my book “The Heart of Science: Engineering Footprints, Fingerprints & Imprints.” I truly believe the universe conspired to make this meeting happen when I got invited to deliver the Annual Silas Lecture ?in-person, at Georgia Tech, the very school that the scholar is attending!

Sounding off

At the Silas lecture, a series that focuses on ethics and leadership as essential components of an engineering education, I talked about the state of science and the need for STEM advocacy. I shared my experiences as Chief Science Advocate and the opportunity that I have had to listen, learn and lead through interactions with members from the entire stakeholder spectrum of the STEM ecosystem. It is clear from the results of 3M State of Science Index, ongoing academic research and empirical evidence that there has been a convergence of many issues such as DE&I, social justice, sustainability and their confluence with STEM and its advocacy.?

I implored the graduate students to think about the decisions and choices that they will make as they step out in the world as educators, entrepreneurs, employees or employers. A diverse workforce is a robust and resilient workforce, and it makes economic as well as moral and ethical sense.?Increasing diversity will lend itself to a more positive sentiment around science and more loyalty among socially conscious customers.?Single-minded view of meritocracy can promote undue focus on the individual and a loss of social context as a result. They will need to develop an empathetic lens and be able to see their own privilege and contribute to alleviating inequities – it’s the right thing to do.

We discussed the STEM spectrum from early childhood, K-12, higher education all the way to the workplace and the primary challenges across this spectrum that can hinder underrepresented minorities. There are metaphorical blockages along this spectrum that deter substantive change resulting in trickle down effects downstream. How can we get these unstuck for sustained momentum and sustainable changes? It is a complex, multifaceted issues with stakeholders ranging from parents, teachers, educators, mentors, peers, and employers with a strong role of family, schools, community, society and culture across the key elements of this E’co-system:

.Exposure .Encouragement .Empowerment .Education .Economics .Engagement .Equity

Sound it out

The world requires innovation. Innovation needs science. Science demands diversity. Diversity warrants equity. Moving forth it is imperative that there is a better understanding of the issues and solutions for each of the above elements of this spectrum. Environments that lack diversity are closed communities analogous to what has been called echo-chambers, where the same voices continue to reflect and reverberate, and the problem sets are identified with a very narrow point of view. A narrow perception of excellence results in a narrow cross-section of well-represented scientists getting the bulk of resources and recognition. Our 2020 and 2021 SOSI results indicate that there is now the urgent need for a broader perspective and social context for science by building a more diverse science community and science as a more inclusive space. A narrow view also makes science vulnerable.

This topic is discussed at length in a recent landmark paper that was co-published in several leading science journals. The authors, in fact even propose a redesign of measurement systems to include the accomplishments of those who serve as champions of change through outreach, DEI efforts, and mentoring of marginalized – they believe it is integral to excellence in modern science and that these criteria will build more accountability and have a positive outcome. Till then the reverberations continue that often do not reflect the diversity of the scientific community, which itself does not reflect the diversity of society as a whole. Science also gives us a strategy – an S.O.S to dampen the sounds of echoes and reverb in a chamber. It involves adding carpets and rugs on the floor, porous fabric or open-cell foam panels along the walls and adding furniture to the area to absorb the sound.

The same strategy can be a metaphor for DE&I in STEM to make more room:

Support from ground-up: Facilitate Diversity

Open-mindedness all around: Foster Inclusion

Seats at the table: Further Equity

Sounding board

2021 was also a year of tremendous learning and sharing through presentations and panels at prestigious forums like COP26, World Economic Forum Affiliated Session, and interactions with ACS, AAAS, IEEE, SWE, Aspen Institute among others. Another highlight this year was the opportunity to interact with Dunwoody School of Technology and deliver the Annual Kate Dunwoody 2021 Luncheon keynote at this event that raises funds and celebrates the power of scholarships and the impact it can have in helping women pursue a degree in technical education. There was much discussion on factors that may influence participation of underrepresented students in STEM and skilled trades. These include intrinsic factors and external environment from an early age, with familial and cultural and social influences and academic mindsets and attitudes. Experts suggest expanding to include a stronger focus on the institutional barriers that need to be removed and the types of interventions that “lift” students’ interests, commitment, and ability to persist in STEM fields. In addition to increasing institutional accountability, understanding resource disparity and creating strategic partnerships they recommend curriculum adjustments to truly connect with student creativity through community-based learning opportunities and or find ways to emphasize how classroom content relates to prosocial communal outcomes.

At the outset of the year, I had made a resolution… to put the focus on the word solution in resolution. WE… is the WORD. In looking back, the Ever Given saga and the effort to free it also showed the power of we – people working across borders and sectors as allies to find a solution for a problem that seemingly impacted us all. A ship that was stuck.

It’s interesting to note that the dictionary.com has declared allyship as the word of the year!

As 2022 approaches I am hopeful that “allyship” can get many a thing unstuck and moving ...and lead to meaningful change.