African Americans have long been under-represented in US science, and statistics issued by the National Science Foundation have shown little progress over the years. The problem is self-perpetuating — without peers in science, minority students often lack inspiration. And without targeted funding programmes, lower-income minorities often lack opportunities. So any hint of progress is welcome. This summer, there have been some positive signs on both fronts.
Tshaka Cunningham, a graduate student at the Rockefeller University in New York, received encouragement from two sources. He recalls spending time as a child in a National Cancer Institute lab with his grandmother Alfreda Simmons, who, after gaining her degree from an all-black university, had difficulty pursuing graduate work. But although science intrigued him, Cunningham didn't see it as a viable long-term career.
So when he finished his degree at Princeton University, Cunningham took a job at drug firm Bristol-Myers Squibb, hoping to learn the business of drug discovery, and contemplating an MBA. But before matriculating, Cunningham talked to his former Princeton mentor Arnold Levine, then president of Rockefeller University. Levine convinced Cunningham to give science a go. Now, Cunningham is glad he stayed the course. He is now doing fascinating AIDS research and this summer received the David Rockefeller Fellowship.
And Cunningham isn't alone. This month, the US National Academy of Sciences awarded Ford Foundation Fellowships to 130 minority scholars, giving them the opportunity to pursue graduate degrees and postdoctoral work. These grants and Cunningham's success are positive — if small — steps in the face of a large problem, but only time will tell if they mark the reversal of a troubling long-term trend.
