According to some really interesting data tables from the U.S. Census Bureau about computer and Internet use (2010), just 34% of Hispanic households have access to the Internet both at home and outside their homes. There were some really interesting numbers from the chart for these households, which we will share below.

• 25% access at home only
• 4.4% access only outside the home
• 34.1% access both at home and outside the home
• 26.7% access the Internet at work
• 23.8% access the Internet at school
• 10.7% at the public library
• 1.1% at a community center
• 3.7% at aan Internet café
• 9.7% other

These numbers were slightly lower for black households — which is to say Latinos have slightly more Internet access than African Americans.… more

The Department of Commerce released a study that shows that, even if women pursue STEM fields, they are more likely to change majors and not end up in those fields. According to USA Today:

That’s encouraging news for people who are concerned about a persistent gender gap in college degrees in science, technology, engineering and math —STEM, for short. The notion that it might have to do with aptitude has long been dismissed. Yet research shows that girls who enjoy — and excel at — math and science in high school are less likely than boys to pursue a college major in those fields.

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The Coalition of The Silence, an advocacy group, filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education that black, Latino and disabled students are being shut out of Fairfax County’s prestigious Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Virginia. According to The Washington Post:

The complaint alleges that black and Latino students, as well as students with disabilities, are being shut out of Thomas Jefferson, or TJ, long before they apply in eighth grade because of Fairfax County Public Schools’ systematic failure to identify them for gifted-education programs that begin in elementary school… Together, black and Latino students account for about 4 percent of the 480 students admitted to next year’s freshman class at TJ.

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An interesting piece in Politic365 this week highlights a discussion at the “Job Creation and Education: Programmatic Efforts to Increase Broadband Adoption in African American Communities” panel at the 2012 National Urban League Annual Conference. The low down is this: these days, without broadband, you are at a fundamental disadvantage. From the piece:

The panelists underscored that Internet was essential to living a meaningful life in the 21st century. Honig illustrated four main advantages of adopting broadband – having greater access to healthcare (through tele-health technologies), education, job opportunities, and civic engagement.

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The Next Web compiled an awesome list if tech hubs in Latin America. Read the whole post here, the following is the abbreviated version, note Brazil seems to be the dominant force in Latin American tech.

1.  Miami, Florida – The city serves as a bridge between the U.S. and Latin America.
2. Moneterrey, Mexico – There’s a tech university, money to fund startups and the talent to make it happen.
3. Mexico City, Mexico – Just like Monterrey, this city’s got the talent and money on the next level to make tech happen.

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Jean Rockford Aguilar-Valdez is a doctoral student studying equity in science education and a former science teacher who shared her thoughts on the need for Latinos to get into STEM. Here’s a snippet:

When 1 in 5 of the children in our schools is Latino, what justification is there for saying that STEM is only for the white, male, and middle- or upper-class? The demographics of the U.S. are changing, and with it we are faced with two options: 1.) Leave STEM to the disproportionally represented white population (and the associated stereotype that only white nerdy boys go into that field) and thus allow the STEM shortage to continue without Latinos enjoying the career-related benefits.

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Eliseo Diaz and Juan Rodriguez are the founders of a tech startup based in Austin, Texas called Flash Valet. The basic premise is to manage valet parking entirely via mobile phone. The pair are working not just on the mobile app, but on the infrastructure that will allow parking companies to mange their inventory and personnel more efficiently. With Flash Valet, when you are ready for your car, you send a text message to the parking company. Even if you want to pick your car up at another location, valets can bring your car to you.… more

Steminist did a great profile on California State University, Los Angeles Professor Claudia Espinosa-Villegas. Professor Espinosa-Villegas works as a lecturer in the College of Engineering, Computer Science and Technology (ECST) department. Some of the great tips she gives to future folks in STEM from the profile include:

• Believe in yourself, and do not listen to anyone that tells you that you are not able/good enough.
• Find a mentor(s) and maintain the relationship(s), thank you letters go a long way.

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Motion Math is an iPad game that, according to a recent study, helped Latino students in Los Angeles area elementary schools improve their test scores on fractions in just one week. What’s more, the game improved students’ confidence towards fractions, and towards math in general. How can you make kids love math with an iPad app? Motion Math co-founder and El Paso, Texas native Gabriel Adauto, 33, told Más Wired it’s because the game allows students to manipulate and work through math concepts at their own pace.… more

Charles Ellison wrote a great piece for Politic365 about how the Higgs boson discovery recently highlighted the importance for greater STEM emphasis in the U.S. Here’s an excerpt:

Since 1960, U.S. investment in research and development has declined by two-thirds.

While NASA’s budget is only 1% of the federal budget, constituents complain that it’s too much while we rot on recession. Many laughed hysterically when former House Speaker now defunct Republican candidate Newt Gingrich had the gall to suggest we build a moon base.

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