About

Throughout the history of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, there have been many individuals who have made groundbreaking innovations. However, only a select few of these individuals are household names, while many others, primarily from historically marginalized groups, have been left out of the history books, never getting the recognition or fame they deserved. Recognizing these individuals will be key in helping to improve diversity in STEM fields by giving youth role models that will encourage them to pursue these fields. For a long time, though, there has been this notion that more people from underrepresented groups are not pursuing STEM fields is because there is a lack of role models. The reality, however, is that there is no shortage of role models, its just that those individuals never got acknowledged for their accomplishments in the first place, causing them to fall into obscurity. The real issue therefore, is that there is a lack of "well-known" role models.

 

The Ohio STEM Role Model Project (OSRMP) aims to address this problem by raising awareness about little know STEM professionals from the historical who have a connection to Ohio, whether it be they were born in Ohio, immigrated/migrated to Ohio, worked in Ohio, or educated in Ohio. OSRMP is different from other initiatives in that we include people from all backgrounds, even those that are considered to be the status quo. Although the latter sounds contradictory, OSRMP looks at diversity from all angles, in that diversity is not defined only by gender and race, but also by disability, religion, LGBTQ+, and other factors that are not often considered when discussing diversity. Learn more about our approach on our diversity page. 

 

By raising awareness of these little known individuals, we hope to inspire the next generation of innovators as well as debunk the perceptions and stereotypes that have prevented or discouraged people from underrepresented groups from pursuing careers in STEM fields.