The lack of diversity in the science and engineering workforce stems from an underproduction of underrepresented students in science and engineering at every level of postsecondary education, with a progressive loss of representation as we proceed up the academic ladder. The potential science and engineering workforce is drawn primarily from among our nation?s undergraduates who complete at least a bachelor?s degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. The primary problem in increasing diversity representation in these fields is the limited size of this pool of potential talent. Unfortunately, most NIH training programs are focused largely, if not exclusively, on an academic career and directed at later stages of the academic pipeline, supporting graduate and postgraduate diversity candidates, rather than enlarging the pool of potential diversity scientists and engineers by identifying and preparing promising undergraduate diversity candidates for graduate and postgraduate study.
