Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB) Resources for STEM in Minnesota

Inequalities persist within the Minnesota and National STEM communities related to gender, race, educational background, physical impairments, family income, and location in the state. The Minnesota Academy of Science believes that everyone should have the ability to envision themselves as a scientist and the tools and support they need to succeed in STEM.

There is no one solution that can accomplish this vision, rather, we must work together as scientific and educational communities, listening, learning and supporting each other. Below, you will find our compiled list of the many wonderful organizations and people that are advocating for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging within Minnesota STEM everyday.

Advocacy groups and resources

k-12 Educational resources

Post-secondary educational resources

STEM Professionals

Increasing the College Completion of Underrepresented Students in STEM (2016), Minnesota Office of Higher Education

Code.org State of Computer Science Report

Minnesota Education Equity Partnership
Minnesota Education Equity Partnership uses a race equity lens to transform educational institutions, organizations, and leaders to ensure that students of color and American Indian students achieve full academic and leadership success.

Minnesota’s Teachers of Color: Increasing Representation Across the Pipeline
Download report from the University of Minnesota

Racial Equity Resource Directory, MN Compass

Status of Women and Girls in Minnesota, University of Minnesota Humphrey School’s Center on Women, Gender & Public Policy and the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota
The project represents a unique approach to research by using a gender-race-place-equity lens. Through the research, a baseline is provided for measuring where to apply needed interventions and benchmark the continued progress on the road to economic, political and social equality for all women and girls in Minnesota.

STEM in Minnesota, Minnesota Compass

The Coalition to Increase Teachers of Color and American Indian Teachers in Minnesota
Unites individuals, organizations and communities concerned about the lack of racial, cultural, and linguistic diversity in the Minnesota teaching force.

Asian Media Access
Asian Media Access’ education department enables Asian American, Pacific Islander and disadvantaged youth to learn about multimedia arts and information technology through workshops teaching multimedia production skills and website design.

Black Data Processing Associates, Twin Cities Chapter
Provides internship matches, free courses for middle and high school students, community youth technology camps, and more.

Code Savvy
The main focus of Code Savvy is the development of opportunities for youth, including girls and students in low opportunity neighborhoods, to engage in coding activities. Mentors provide support and encouragement for youth in a variety of locations through the Twin Cities and greater MN area.

CoderDojo Twin Cities
The Twin Cities chapter of a global movement provides free and open learning to youth, with an emphasis on computer programming, lego, tech and robotics teams.

Fostering Opportunities and Relationships in STEM Education (FORSE)
Through our FORSE program, MAS provides pathways for student populations traditionally underrepresented in STEM fields to participate in STEM learning experiences.

Girls Dream Code
Girls Dream Code is a Twin Cities non-profit aiming to empower young minority and low-income girls to pursue an interest in technology by providing free tech workshops, events, and resources. Their mission is “to promote opportunities in technology, decrease the gender and diversity gap in tech, increase inclusivity, and create a safe space for young girls to feel comfortable and excel in all that they do”.

Girls Inc. Eureka! Program
The Girls Inc. Eureka! program is for Twin Cities girls to explore career interests in STEM and prepare for post-secondary education.

High Tech Kids
A Minnesota nonprofit charged with supporting FIRST LEGO League Jr, FIRST LEGO League and FIRST Tech Challenge teams in Minnesota by offering training, tournament opportunities, volunteer coordination and community outreach.

Kitty Anderson Youth Science Center
Provides out-of-school programming for hundreds of underserved youth with the goals of building leadership skills, career readiness, and fostering confidence and appreciation of STEM. Youth start in the program as service learning volunteers in 7th grade, and can progress to paid positions during high school and after graduation as alumni interns.

Free or Low Cost STEM Summer Camps
The Minnesota Academy of Science’s guide to accessible summer camps, both in Minnesota and virtual.

Minnesota Aspirations Award
Honoring young women at the high-school level for their computing-related achievements and interests.

Minnesota Science Teacher’s Association Equity in Science Education Resources
MnSTA’s collected science links promoting equity, inclusion, and accessibility in science education.

Minnesota State Center for Engineering Excellence
Offers free training and Explore Engineering Kits for educators serving areas with high free and reduced lunch populations in the greater St. Paul / Minneapolis area.

Minnesota STEM Partnership
Offers coaching for underrepresented Minnesota youth interested in STEM to guide students and their families through a multitude of options.

MNCodes
MNCodes is an educator training initiative from Code Savvy designed to expand access to equitable and engaging computer science learning opportunities to all students in Minnesota by empowering the people with the greatest impact — Minnesota educators!

Native Skywatch
The Native Skywatchers initiative seeks to remember and revitalize indigenous star and earth knowledge. The overarching goal of Native Skywatchers is to communicate the knowledge that indigenous people traditionally practiced a sustainable way of living and sustainable engineering through a living and participatory relationship with the above and below, sky and earth. They have many print and digital resources.

PAGE
PAGE is the Science Museum of Minnesota’s flagship program for leaders in K-12 education. District or school-based leadership teams are eligible to participate in PAGE. Dedicated to supporting diversity, promoting inclusion, increasing access, and achieving equity in educational systems, PAGE is designed to support leaders in bringing about meaningful and lasting institutional change towards greater equity and inclusion within schools and across districts.

SciMathMN
SciMathMN advocates for effective, engaging and rigorous science, technology, engineering and mathematics education opportunities for all Minnesota students, preparing them for citizenship, careers, and college.

Social Justice in the Science Classroom
Resources from the National Science Teaching Association, asserting that “science education can be used to support more just, sustainable, and culturally thriving futures—especially for those who have historically been and continue to be disenfranchised from science”. Of special interest are:
Practice Brief 10: Teaching STEM In Ways that Respect and Build Upon Indigenous Peoples' Rights
Practice Brief 15: How can we promote equity in science education?
Practice Brief 55: Why it is crucial to make cultural diversity visible in STEM education
Practice Brief 67: Focusing Science and Engineering Learning on Justice-Centered Phenomena across PK-12

SPARCS
An information technology development program for female middle and high school students in Minnesota.

STEM Forward
Organization in Southeast Minnesota promoting STEM excellence in local K-12 schools.

Technovation[MN]
Hosts several App Days and facilitates global Technovation Girls in Minnesota.

Association of Computing Machinery for Women, University of Minnesota chapter

Association of Multicultural Scientists, University of Minnesota
AMS is a student organization formed and led by graduate students at the University of Minnesota. All individuals with an interest in fostering and supporting diversity in science are invited to join.

Council for the Advancement of Underrepresented Scientists and Engineers, University of Minnesota
Dedicated to the recruitment, retention, and professional development of graduate students of color and first generation college students within the College of Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.

Increasing Diversity in Environmental Careers
The Increasing Diversity in Environmental Careers (IDEC) program provides a unique college-to-careers pathway for underrepresented STEM college students, specifically, women, racial and ethnic minorities, or individuals with disabilities, who want to pursue a career in environmental and natural resources fields. Students receive a fellowship, mentorship, and paid internship during their academic journey in Minnesota.

North Star STEM Alliance
Minnesota section of an initiative funded by the National Science Foundation intended to double the number of underrepresented students receiving baccalaureate degrees in STEM.

List of Scholarships for First Generation or Underrepresented Minority Students, Minnesota Office of Higher Education

MnDOT’s Seeds Student Worker Program
Provides paid college-level student worker positions to highly motivated minority or economically disadvantaged college students, students who are recently separated veterans, students with disabilities or female students in STEM.

National Society of Black Engineers, University of Minnesota Chapter
NSBE's mission is to increase the number of Black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally, and positively impact the community. 

Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS), University of Minnesota Student Chapter
SACNAS is an inclusive organization dedicated to fostering the success of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans, from college students to professionals, in attaining advanced degrees, careers, and positions of leadership in STEM.

Women in Computing Club, University of Minnesota

Women in Engineering, University of Minnesota branch

Black Data Processing Associates, Twin Cities Chapter
BDPA was created to bring underrepresented minorities together working in the information technology and computer science field for the purpose of professional development and academic enrichment.

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access, Leadership (IDEAL) Professional Development at the Science Museum of Minnesota
The Science Museum of Minnesota’s IDEAL Center helps professionals who are serious about equity and inclusion see their world differently and have the abilities, strategies and will to make it more just.

National Association of Black Accountants, Minneapolis/St. Paul Chapter
The National Association of Black Accountants is a membership association dedicated to bridging the opportunity gap for black professionals in the accounting, finance and related professions.

National Black Nurses Association, Minnesota Chapter
The National Black Nurses Association serves as the professional voice for over 200,000 African American registered nurses.

National Center for Women and Information Technology, Minnesota Chapter
NCWIT is a non-profit community that convenes, equips, and unites more than 1,100 change leader organizations to increase the influence and meaningful participation of girls and women from every community — at the intersections of race, ethnicity, class, age, sexual orientation, and disability status — in the influential field of computing, particularly in terms of innovation and development.

Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers
The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers’ vision is to change lives by empowering our local Hispanic community to realize its fullest potential and impact the Twin Cities through STEM awareness, access, support and development. ​

Society of Women Engineers, Minnesota Section
The Society of Women Engineers’ mission is to empower women to achieve full potential in careers as engineers and leaders, expand the image of the engineering and technology professions as a positive force in improving the quality of life, and demonstrate the value of diversity and inclusion.

Women Leading in Technology
Women Leading in Technology (WLiT) seeks to promote, educate and empower women in technology across Minnesota.