From Scientific American: "The twin crises roiling society right now—the coronavirus pandemic and pervasive racism—are intertwined and reinforce one another. A way to address both is to nurture the talent for science and technology among underrepresented students across America.
Consider these two examples:
When David Lucero arrived at the University of Vermont from Queens, New York, in 2004, this first-generation college student had little direction. After a professor in an intro biology course engaged him in her research tracking Chagas disease, he became passionate about disease ecology, eventually earning a Ph.D. at the university. Today he is a much-published expert in disease transmission studying Zika, Legionnaires’ disease and COVID-19."