Advancing Diversity in STEM Education
Engineering is for everyone.
In the United States, only 21 percent of engineering majors and 19 percent of computer science majors are women, and only 22 percent of all science and engineering bachelor's degrees go to Black, Latinx, or Native American students. These disparities hold for women and ethnic minorities in many other countries as well.
It’s critical to increase access to STEM education among students from groups underrepresented in our field—girls, people of color, and economically disadvantaged students. This will increase innovation in our industry while enabling us to meet the demands of the marketplace.
Our Approach
We are advancing diversity in the engineering talent pipeline by supporting STEM education initiatives serving underrepresented or economically disadvantaged students. We partner with nonprofits across the globe, providing not only monetary grants and product donations but also our business expertise. We assemble teams from across NI’s global teams to help our partners create, promote, and scale programs.
Additionally, NIers regularly volunteer with our partners and mentor students to help them discover their passions and abilities.
Through our partnerships, we serve people from Pre-K through the workforce through multiple pathways to impact.
STEM giving/partner
in monetary and product donations to STEM education initiatives
strategic partners supported globally
hours of employee volunteering and mentoring
Pre-K / K-12
- Hands-on STEM education
- Mentoring & volunteering
- Internships
- Product donations
- Advocacy
College
- Mentoring & volunteer Internships
- Apprenticeships
- Product donations
Workforce
- Mentoring & volunteering
- Reskilling and upskilling
- Apprenticeships
Pre-K / K-12
- Hands-on STEM education
- Mentoring & volunteering
- Internships
- Product donations
- Advocacy
College
- Mentoring & volunteer Internships
- Apprenticeships
- Product donations
Workforce
- Mentoring & volunteering
- Reskilling and upskilling
- Apprenticeships
Strategic Long-Term Partners
We have awarded multiyear grants to the following partners, and in 2022 we worked diligently to mature and scale our initiatives and volunteering.
2022 Grantees
In addition to providing long-term grants, we award smaller, annual grants to STEM education organizations across the globe. We also volunteer with these partners.
Spotlights on STEM Education
Girls in Engineering and Technology
NI co-created GET with our partners at Penang Science Cluster in Penang, Malaysia. Through GET, female engineering and technology professionals from NI and other companies teach girls technical and leadership skills through fun, hands-on lessons.
Learn more >
Women at Tech (WATCH)
NI and Agora Science Center’s WATCH program is helping girls in Hungary discover their engineering potential through hands-on projects that develop skills such as programming and 3D printing.
Volunteering with FIRST®
NI employees spend hundreds of hours per year volunteering with students through FIRST. For example, NI R&D Test Systems Engineer Luke Kindelin has been mentoring the TeXplosion FIRST Robotics Competition team in Manor, Texas, for four years.
Mentoring with Fundación Monge
With help from a grant from NI, in 2022 Fundación Monge launched a program that provides underserved students in Costa Rica with two years of STEM education. NI employees mentor the students in technical skills and soft skills such as communication.
