Spotlight: Increasing diversity in STEM fields

iDEW shows we can

Da’Vion Stewart, a former iDEW participant, thinks everyone who can should take part in the program.

An idea to attract more diverse students into STEM programs has become an initiative that can drive Indiana’s workforce.

Our award-winning Informatics Diversity-Enhanced Workforce (iDEW) program partners with local businesses to provide cutting-edge IT education to a diverse population of Indianapolis high school students.

According to School of Informatics Dean Mathew Palakal, “iDEW students work on socially relevant, real-world problems by learning and using informatics and computing technology; and through these learning experiences, they are prepared to further their education and are introduced to in-demand, high-potential career opportunities.”

In our first year, we decided that 30 students per school was the most we could handle. Today, three years later, we have 413 students in multiple grades, and we have demand for even more.

Alvin Givens, Executive Director, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chair Of iDEW Advisory Council

iDEW works for students

Da’Vion Stewart, a current undergraduate student in the School of Informatics and Computing at IUPUI, participated in the program as a high school student. After completing a number of projects, he knew he wanted to do more. In 2017, Da’Vion graduated from Arsenal Technical High School before starting his freshman year at IUPUI.

From his perspective, nearly every field out there requires an understanding of IT in some form, so he strongly supports iDEW for all students, saying, “Everyone should participate in iDEW if they have the opportunity.”

See the program in action

Learn more about our research initiatives