Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) has voted to formally recognise and support the work of Diversity in STEM, which was set up by the union in 2016.
The motion was passed at TCDSU’s first council meeting this evening, which was held virtually. STEM convenor Daniel O’Reilly proposed the motion with TCDSU Welfare Officer Leah Keogh seconding.
Speaking in favour of the motion, O’Reilly said that STEM has “historically pretty bad” representation.
The campaign, he added, “never really found its own way so I’m trying to formalise things this year”.
The committee will now review its own structure and its own performance halfway through the year.
“It’s a campaign that deserves to be run well”, O’Reilly said. “Get some good representation going in STEM, because we sure need it.”
Speaking in favour of the motion, Keogh said: “I think this motion is foolproof.”
The council agenda noted that “Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) has a well recognised problem with diversity and representation” and that “there has been a campaign called “Diversity in STEM” which has been run in the faculty of STEM informally for a number of years”.
The Diversity in STEM campaign was established in 2016 as the TCDSU Women in STEM campaign. Its aim was to tackle gender imbalances in the areas of science, technology, engineering and maths through involving a series of panel discussions from academics and industry from the various branches of STEM.
The campaign and its goals were rebranded in 2018 after criticism of its sole focus on promoting women in the field, and now aims to promote intersectional diversity in STEM.
In 2018, a survey revealed that female students and teachers in secondary schools are unaware of the careers that can follow the study of STEM subjects. Then-Minister for Higher Education Mary Mitchell O’Connor that year launched A World of Opportunities, a guide created by Dublin City University (DCU) for parents, teachers and students that highlights the range of STEM careers available.
