Meharry SACS Outreach Program
There is a lack of diversity in the tech industry. Black employees make up just seven percent of tech employees. Narrowing the focus to data scientists, only one percent of employees are Black.*
As an HBCU offering industry-relevant, graduate programs in data science, Meharry School of Applied Computational Sciences will play a leading role in transforming that representation. More than 90 percent of Meharry SACS students are Black. These students will earn master’s and PhD degrees and become data science leaders.
But our mission to innovate, connect and serve requires that we do more in the community. This lack of diversity in the tech sector means that underrepresented K-12 students rarely meet professionals that look like them.
The Meharry SACS Outreach program aims to change that fact.
With the support of industry and government agency partners, we bring underrepresented graduate and K-12 students together in engaging, interactive programs. We introduce robotics, coding and data science to students. But they also meet Black professionals in robotics, data science and other tech fields. They have even spent time with the first Black woman to pilot a spacecraft.
Contact David Lockett, grants proposal development and awards management specialist, at dlockett@mmc.edu with any questions or for more information about our outreach programs.
Partner with us
We look forward to building partnerships that will extend more opportunities to K-12 students. Please contact Todd Gary, director of community and external R&D partnerships, at tpgary@mmc.edu or complete this form to begin a conversation about partnering with us.
On Wed. Oct. 26, 300 students from Haynes Middle School were on Meharry’s campus for an exciting day of exposure to science and medicine.
Students attending the Meharry Data Science Summer Academy spent two weeks learning coding, robotics and NASA applications of programming and data science. On July 28, they enjoyed the unforgettable experience of meeting astronaut Dr. Sian Proctor, the first Black woman to pilot a spacecraft.
On July 17 – 29, 17 students mostly from underrepresented backgrounds, learned to apply coding and data science to robotics on the Meharry Medical College campus.
K – 12 Data Science Teacher Resources
The following serve as great resources for K – 12 teachers seeking to add data skills to their classroom curriculum.
Data Science 4 Everyone
The Data Science 4 Everyone Resource Center provides various resources for educators, students, industry leaders, and anyone interested in expanding their knowledge in data science education.
*Source: https://www.zippia.com/advice/diversity-in-high-tech-statistics/