December 2022

AERA has joined as a partnering organization for the STEMM Opportunity Alliance (SOA), comprised of organizations and entities from across sectors committed to helping develop and advance a national strategy for achieving shared national STEMM equity goals by 2050. The alliance was announced during the White House Summit on STEMM Equity and Excellence on December 12 (see related story).

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is leading this effort with support from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. The SOA includes more than 90 partners that include scientific associations, higher education organizations and universities, and organizations engaged in STEMM education. The SOA is addressing the need for a concerted, coordinated effort and national strategy to ensure the STEMM ecosystem is pre-eminent, equitable, and inclusive.

As part of this initiative SOA members are asked to make a commitment to improving STEMM equity through five actions, including fostering a more just society by ensuring greater access to opportunities for economic prosperity; ensuring scientific excellence; and investing and scaling equitable processes and practices to facilitate a sustainable, long-term shift in the STEMM ecosystem.

“AERA is strongly committed to STEMM equity in all STEMM research fields and institutions, including within AERA,” said AERA Executive Director Felice J. Levine. “Though progress has been made to make STEMM more equitable, inclusive, and accessible, many barriers remain to creating the conditions to foster success for communities that have been traditionally underrepresented in STEMM. We look forward to working with our partners in the alliance to advance and strengthen the U.S. STEMM enterprise.”