To support minority researchers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), Purdue University, the U.S. Navy’s Office of Naval Research (0NR), and a coalition of other schools have launched the Blue Integrated Partnerships.

A Pew Research study supports data that minorities are underrepresented in STEM citing limited access to quality education, discriminatory hiring and promotion practices — and a lack of support to thrive in the field. Many Black and brown students may be less inclined to complete their studies due to not having equal opportunities like their white counterparts.

“We call this a quiet crisis,” said Luciano Castillo, Purdue’s Kenninger Professor of Renewable Energy and Power Systems in Mechanical Engineering, the program’s principal investigator, according to a press release from Purdue University. “It’s not just a matter of trying to raise numbers. Minority students feel that they don’t have the tools to succeed in science and engineering careers. We want to give these students every available opportunity to overcome those barriers, to solve the big problems of tomorrow.”

the U.S. Navy’s Office of Naval Research

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