Supporting students in STEM isn’t just about access—it’s also about ensuring they can truly belong and see themselves as future scientists. This was the focus of Dr. Charles Lu’s influential study, “Finding Los Científicos Within,” which explored how Latino male students in their first college semester build—and sometimes struggle with—their science identities. Through interviews with a group of Latino males at a Central Texas institution, Dr. Lu found that two key factors play a pivotal role...

Supporting students in STEM isn’t just about access—it’s also about ensuring they can truly belong and see themselves as future scientists. This was the focus of Dr. Charles Lu’s influential study, “Finding Los Científicos Within,” which explored how Latino male students in their first college semester build—and sometimes struggle with—their science identities. Through interviews with a group of Latino males at a Central Texas institution, Dr. Lu found that two key factors play a pivotal role...