The Importance of Women and Minorities in STEM Fields

The primary goal of our paper is to bring attention to women and minority underrepresentation in research and innovation which is more than a matter of fairness or equality. We will start by gathering details about how women make up only 35% of STEM B.A. graduates, and as one progresses down the innovation pipeline, women become progressively underrepresented. Then explain how

Patents are more likely to be commercialized by mixed- racial/gender teams than by single-racial/gender teams. We will do

so by quoting Raj Chetty's team of Stanford economists etc. Then lead to how the economy could be missing out on potentially good ideas, or even a significant amount of growth. This, perhaps, will broaden society's awareness of inclusion and equity in women and minorities. We will use credible and reliable sources to catch the reader's attention, and hopefully open them up to the underrated topic. (Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Junalyn Navarra-Madsen)