COLLEGE STATION, Texas — We’re starting to see African Americans make headway in many fields but unfortunately, we’ve seen little change in STEM fields.
African Americans only make up nine percent of STEM workers, according to the latest study by Pew Research Center.
In the Brazos Valley, women and men of color are paving the way in the STEM field to help make a difference for generations to come.
Most people probably couldn't tell you what biological and agricultural engineering is off the top of their head.
"People hear agricultural, and they think that they're going to be out in the farm somewhere but that's not the case,” said Dr. Janie Moore, Biological & Agricultural Engineering Department, Texas A&M.
For Dr. Moore, it is fascinating. Now, she’s made a career out of it.
"I am the first tenure track African American faculty in our department and our department has been around for 100 years," Dr. Moore said.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, African Americans are the least likely to enter technology fields — Moore is working to add to those numbers.
"When I came, we probably had one or two black grad students and we've increased those numbers by six percent over the past five years," Dr. Moore said.
PhD student Nahndi Kirk-Bradley is part of that six percent.
She says Dr. Moore influenced her to complete her masters and PhD at Texas A&M.
"I was able to see someone in my field of study, a black woman who already has the degree I have and that really was a push to come to A&M and do the same thing," said Nahndi Kirk-Bradley, PhD student, Biological & Agricultural Engineering Department.
Now Kirk-Bradley is also helping to raise more awareness of STEM opportunities during the Girls in STEM event, the first of its kind, aiming to increase interests and support diversity in STEM.
According to Pew Research Center, there hasn't been a significant change in black workers in STEM since 2016.
There's also been a lack of Black and Hispanic graduates in STEM as well, but Kirk-Bradley is hoping to change that.
"To kind of increase the numbers and change the conversation in how people view stem related fields because we really want to see the shift from male dominated to female dominated as well as minorities," Kirk-Bradley said.
The future 2024 graduate hopes her research will find ways to better our environment and make a difference, leading to changes for food and agriculture.
"I want to make a difference,” Kirk-Bradley said. “I work with insects right now and I'm trying to find an alternative to chemical fumigation and we're onto something."
Dr. Moore says her efforts today are all about looking toward the future.
"If I could see more young people really interested in this area and matriculating through to become the professors of tomorrow, that would be amazing,” Dr. Moore said. “I would feel like I did my job."