Increasing accessibility to biomechanics for Black students with early exposure through NBD

Abstract

From the perspective of a Black woman in the biomechanics field, it is my observation that many Black biomechanists are exposed to the field of biomechanics late into their academic careers. STEM (science, technology, and mathematics) is such a broad/encompassing field, yet students are only typically given a narrow introduction to biology and chemistry prior to college. These basic science courses are not enough to continue recruiting and building a pathway for future scientists to pursue STEM careers in the interdisciplinary field of biomechanics. Outreach programs, like National Biomechanics Day (NBD), can expose students to biomechanics earlier than the usual undergraduate exposure for those majoring in health/exercise science, kinesiology, or biomedical/mechanical engineering. NBD has increased accessibility to biomechanics, which has led to increases in diversity, equity, and inclusion in the biomechanics community, particularly for young Black students. Outreach programs like NBD are crucial to reaching, engaging, and recruiting future young Black biomechanists, and others from underrepresented communities, within the US and beyond.

1. Introduction

Biomechanics is a growing interdisciplinary field of science dedicated to better understanding human movement. However, many students are unaware of the existence of biomechanics as a STEM field, and that there are viable careers in biomechanics research in a variety of environments/sectors. Biomechanics as a field of scientific discipline has recently been described as “largely shuttered within post-graduate programs that remain secluded, underexposed, and unknown to most people” (DeVita 2018). Additionally, biomechanics remains “poorly positioned within the broad world of education” (DeVita 2018). I am writing this article from the perspective of a Black woman in STEM, particularly the field of biomechanics. From my own experience, as a high school graduate continuing onto college, I was under the impression that the only career I could pursue to bridge my love of science and human movement was physical therapy. As a freshman in college, I was funneled into biology as my undergraduate major with a physical therapy “track”, but in reality, I was strictly a biology major; and for me, this trajectory almost derailed my love of science because the curriculum was not tailored enough to what I really wanted to do.

My story is not uncommon, as many students are sometimes guided into programs or pathways that are not in line with our academic/career goals. STEM encompasses many disciplines, but the typical curriculum which only gives students a narrow introduction to basic biology and chemistry is not enough to continue recruiting and building a pathway for future scientists to pursue careers in STEM fields like biomechanics. This is especially true for Black students in STEM. Through my involvement with the Black Biomechanists Association and National Biomechanics Day, I have taken my experiences as a Black student and now early career Black woman scientist in the biomechanics field and channeled them into ways to help break this cycle of late exposure and lack of support. In particular for Black individuals wanting to pursue careers in STEM, and more specifically in the biomechanics field. This article aims to bring awareness to the impact of barriers faced by Black students to succeed in STEM majors, the lack of exposure and knowledge of biomechanics as a field, and how the Black Biomechanists Association and National Biomechanics Day are working to increase the accessibility to biomechanics for Black students through diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

2. Impact of barriers faced by Black students to pursue careers in STEM

Black individuals make up 13% of the United States (US) population, yet Black students earned only 9% of science and 4% of engineering bachelor’s degrees, compared to a total of 56% of science and engineering bachelor’s degrees by White students (NSF, 2019). Even with similar entrance rates, Black students switch out of STEM majors at 1.4 times the rate of White students (Riegle-Crumb et al., 2019). Most disheartening, 26% of Black students in STEM majors leave institutions without graduating compared to 13% of White students (Riegle-Crumb et al., 2019).

This lack of retention in academia is directly influenced by the decreased presence of Black individuals in advanced career stages. Among graduate students enrolled in science and engineering programs, only 11% are Black students (NSF, 2019). In the US, 13.3 % of the science and engineering workforce are minorities, only 5.6% of which are Black individuals (NSF, 2019). Furthermore, only 5.4% of doctoral degrees have been awarded to Black students and to date, more than a dozen fields have no Black doctoral recipients (www.aauw.org, 2020). This means that within specific fields or graduate programs, Black graduate students are currently making history as the first Black student to be accepted into their graduate program and to graduate with an advanced degree in their field, even in 2023. Faculty representation for Black individuals is also severely lacking as they make up only 5.2% of tenured faculty at bachelor-degree-granting schools (www.aauw.org, 2020).

These data signify distinct barriers related to DEI issues experienced by Black students and professionals in STEM spaces that make it difficult to successfully navigate higher education and careers in STEM fields. Beginning at the undergraduate level there is a clear underrepresentation of Black individuals in STEM that continues to decrease as we progress into higher stages of the academic career. Furthermore, most biomechanics degree programs are only offered at Predominately White Institutions, resulting in few Black faculty and students at any given institution within this particular discipline. Furthermore, these data demonstrate multiple points, but two major points should stand out: 1) recruitment of Black students to enter STEM majors is poor, and 2) retention of Black students/faculty in STEM majors is poor. While many DEI initiatives in higher education are currently seeking to identify and reduce barriers due to systemic racism to better support current Black students and faculty already within academia, some DEI work should also focus on how to better recruit Black students to enter STEM fields.

3. Becoming a Black biomechanist: A commonly shared experience

The path that led me to the field of biomechanics is very similar to other Black biomechanists that I have talked to and connected with over the past few years. For me, it all began with a love of sports and a love of science from a young age. I have always had a great passion for science and understanding how the human body works. Much of this curiosity was piqued during my many years as an athlete, beginning with an eight-year career as a competitive artistic gymnast during my grade school years, then becoming a standout high school track and field athlete, and concluding as a Division I track and field athlete for 5 years during my undergraduate academic career.

Biomechanics is a science that is the basis of knowledge for the many techniques, training methods, assessment of performance characteristics, and injury rehabilitation used in sports. Prior to taking an ‘Introduction to Biomechanics’ class my junior year in college, I never knew there was a specific field of science dedicated to studying the techniques, performance outcomes, and injury prevention methods that I had already been learning throughout my athletic career since I began as a young gymnast. Saying “yes” to an offer by my Introduction to Biomechanics professor (who later became my PhD advisor) to participate in a semester long independent study in the Biomechanics Laboratory applying biomechanical concepts to sports and movement in a scientific manner was one of the best decisions I have ever made. It led me to where I am today and continues to drive my curiosity and motivates me to pursue a career as an independent researcher in the field of biomechanics.

Although elements of my story are unique to me, most of the Black students and scientists I have had the opportunity to connect with during my time in the biomechanics field share the same background story: having an affinity for science and being involved in sports during childhood. Many of us also share the same story of not being exposed to biomechanics as a science discipline, as a field of research, and as a viable career option to pursue until late into our undergraduate studies or even early in graduate studies. To me, this echoes one big problem: students are not being exposed to the wonderful world that is biomechanics soon enough!

True to my story and many others, the lack of exposure and lack of knowledge of what fields of science exist beyond the core classes of biology, chemistry, and physics from our early academic stages is one of the biggest barriers to successfully recruiting Black students to pursue degrees and eventually careers in STEM. Why are we not similarly exposed to biomechanics as a field of science as early as we are to biology, chemistry, and physics? Additionally, how do we create ways to expose students to biomechanics earlier when it still remains largely outside of traditional science education? These are questions that both the Black Biomechanists Association and National Biomechanics Day have actively been working to address through DEI initiatives developed to expose young Black students to biomechanics earlier in their academic careers and to support Black students currently studying within the field of biomechanics.

4. The Black Biomechanists Association

I am a cofounder of the Black Biomechanists Association (BBA), which is a certified non-profit service-based organization, based in the US, with a mission to uplift and enrich Black biomechanists in their academic and professional careers. To achieve the stated mission, three main objectives have been established: (1) to provide a supportive environment to discuss the challenges, needs, and interests of Black biomechanists; (2) to provide resources that encourage visibility, increase engagement, and empower Black biomechanists; and (3) to aid in the biomechanics community’s efforts to achieve DEI. BBA was organized as a group to hold space and empower Black scientists to be as successful as possible and to aid in the biomechanics community’s efforts to achieve DEI. BBA was founded amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, allowing a unique opportunity to develop and thrive in a virtual environment. Developing on virtual platforms provided a space for a diverse group of individuals from a variety of disciplines, career stages, global locations, and skill sets to volunteer their support to BBA efforts.

BBA developed its mission statement and objectives to target and reduce DEI barriers and give much needed support to Black students and biomechanists. Five subcommittees were created, each one to address at least one of the organization’s objectives, and to produce programming relevant to the needs of Black biomechanists at various career stages. The five subcommittees are as follows: 1) Program Planning, 2) Mentoring, 3) Communications, 4) Fundraising, and 5) Outreach (Fig. 1). The early successes of BBA efforts, including accomplishments of each of the five committees within the first two years of being founded were recently published by Bell et al. (2022). Founding a group like BBA has brought about unique opportunities to collaborate with other organizations and initiatives to push the DEI agenda in the biomechanics community. One of the most fruitful collaborations has been through our efforts to expose Black students to biomechanics earlier through our sponsorship and involvement with National Biomechanics Day.

Fig. 1.

The overall goals of the five subcommittees of the Black Biomechanics Association.

5. Outreach programs are key to early exposure to STEM opportunities in biomechanics

Outreach can be defined as the extending of services or assistance beyond current or usual limits (www.merriam-webster.com, 2022). In the context of increasing DEI in biomechanics, this requires an intentional effort to provide exposure to biomechanics as a field of science beyond the current limit of higher education. Outreach programs can expose students to biomechanics as a discipline so much sooner than the usual undergraduate exposure for those majoring in health/exercise science, kinesiology, or biomedical/mechanical engineering.

National Biomechanics Day (NBD) is a champion of this effort in the biomechanics community. NBD is a national celebration of the field of biomechanics and the many ways that biomechanics research serves society, as it makes substantial contributions to medicine and health, human and animal movement and performance, biomedical engineering, prosthetics and human–machine interactions, and much more (www.thebiomechanicsinitiative.org, 2022). The mission of NBD is to expand the influence and the impact of biomechanics on our society, primarily through exposing and teaching young students about biomechanics to increase interest and pursuit of careers in the biomechanics field (DeVita, 2018).

I believe NBD is a unique outreach program because it breaks beyond the typical accessibility barrier, particularly for underserved populations, and reaches students on a level that connects with their interests, while sparking a new interest rooted in science. NBD invites biomechanics labs from across the US and the globe to plan and host their own events demonstrating the many uses and applications of biomechanics methods to real-world problems in a hands-on experience. Designing immersive experiences that combine science with exciting activities relevant to the learner is one of the best approaches to getting youth engaged and interested in science (Drazan, 2020). This is especially important for students in the Black community, who often are not exposed to outreach programs that encourage and promote science as a viable higher education and career option. Early outcomes of outreach programs similar to NBD have shown that STEM education through informal teaching settings that connect with student’s existing interests (like sport) has been an effective means to increase interest in and perceived importance of STEM in underrepresented minority youth (Marshall et al. 2021).

BBA is a sponsor of NBD, and this partnership has had many positive impacts on the Black students and scientists in the biomechanics field. In 2021, NBD established the Black Biomechanists Outreach through National Biomechanics Day Grant Program, which provides funding for NBD events that promote biomechanics in the Black community and promotes continuing growth, expansion, and unity in science (Fig. 2). Specifically, it entails that: (1) the applicant is a Black student enrolled in a MS or PhD program in Biomechanics or related field at any university worldwide; (2) the NBD event ensures at least half the participants are Black students; and 3) provides awards for up to $1000 to support NBD event expenses and conference registration cost to attend a biomechanics conference. In two short years, we have been able to fund nine NBD events through this initiative, and are currently selecting recipients for the Black Biomechanists Outreach through National Biomechanics Day Grant Program to fund 2023 NBD events (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2.

Logo for the Black Biomechanists Outreach Through NBD Grant Program and the recipients for the 2022 cycle of the grant program.

The focus of the funding initiative is not just to support the NBD event itself. The main focus is to support current Black graduate student biomechanists while also engaging with future Black biomechanists. It is imperative to create environments and programs that ensure equity (via access to resources and fairness in procedures/processes) in order to achieve increased diversity (via recruitment) and feelings of inclusion (via retention). The collaboration between BBA and NBD has expanded opportunities and increased accessibility to better engage and recruit Black students into the biomechanics field, both in the US and abroad. For example, through the Black Biomechanists Outreach through National Biomechanics Day Grant Program the Federal University of Technology Akure in Nigeria has held NBD events consecutively since 2021, bringing biomechanics to about one hundred high school students and their teachers participating in the events (Fidelis, 2022). The outreach work accomplished by BBA and NBD to increase access to knowledge, resources, and funding will reduce DEI barriers for young Black students (Africans inclusive) and promote a more equitable and inclusive biomechanics community. Continued collaboration will help establish a foundation to better engage, recruit, and retain Black students in the field of biomechanics to help produce a more diverse STEM workforce future forward.

6. Conclusion and future directions

Organizations like BBA and NBD allow access to resources that are crucial to reaching, engaging, and recruiting future young Black biomechanists (Africans inclusive) from underrepresented communities, within the US and beyond. Both organizations create environments and experiences that make equity and inclusion the focal point of their initiatives in order to increase diversity in the biomechanics field. I believe we are successful in our DEI initiatives and efforts because the focus is on equity and inclusion.

Outreach programs like the events planned to celebrate NBD show true promise in expanding opportunities to recruit students into STEM careers, especially in underrepresented communities of color. Grant funding opportunities like the Black Biomechanists Outreach Through National Biomechanics Day Grant Program have multiple incentives to increase DEI via outreach programs. Specifically, the NBD grant allows the field of biomechanics to: 1) reach new communities, 2) spark interest in science and biomechanics, 3) support and promote success of minority students, and 4) prioritize access to underrepresented students.

Diversifying the biomechanics field requires early exposure, proactively implementing equitable and inclusive measures, and investing efforts into programs, policies, and initiatives that will support the unique needs of individuals from underrepresented communities to help them succeed. Outreach programs truly lie at the intersection of these measures and should be a major focus of efforts to achieve increased diversity, equity, and inclusion success in the field of biomechanics.