Why are minorities, and more specifically Black individuals, underrepresented in computing?
Dr. Curtis C. Cain, associate professor in the Howard University School of Business, has chosen to focus much of his research answering this question. According to his own research, though Black men represent 6 % of the US population, they only account for 2.2% of those employed in computing occupations. Careers in computing include computer science, information technology, software and computer engineering, and data science.
Dr. Cain’s interest in this topic began during his graduate studies at Auburn University, where he noticed a significant lack of diversity compared to his previous experiences at historically Black institutions. This observation led him to question the reasons behind the underrepresentation of Black individuals and other minorities in computing.
“A lot of the research work dealing with diversity and computing has rightly been focused on women, but it has overwhelmingly focused on white women and Asian women,” explained Dr. Cain.
Dr. Cain’s research aims to explore the factors influencing the educational and career choices of Black men in computing. He is conducting a long-term study following Black male undergraduates at four different universities to understand their experiences and decisions in this field. He believes that while much research has focused on increasing diversity in computing, it often centers on white and Asian women, leaving other groups less examined.
Through his research, Dr. Cain has also contributed to initiatives aimed at broadening participation in computing, such as teaching software engineering to the inaugural cohort of Howard West students at Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, CA.
His research has been recognized with a National Science Foundation CAREER award — the most prestigious award presented by the foundation to advance the work of faculty who “exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through research and education”— supporting his long-term project examining factors that influence the education and career decisions of Black men in computing. This study follows Black men pursuing computing degrees at four different universities, aiming to understand and mitigate the challenges they face. Dr. Cain is the first faculty member in Howard University’s School of Business to receive this designation, highlighting the significance of his contributions to research and higher education.
Dr. Cain’s publications include, among others:
These works contribute to understanding the experiences of underrepresented groups in computing and informatics, with the goal of fostering greater diversity and inclusion in these fields.
Through his research, Dr. Cain has found that many individuals leave computing careers because they feel isolated. He emphasizes the need for nuanced research to determine how to retain these individuals, suggesting that policy changes, interventions, and cultural shifts are necessary to support them. By critically examining these issues, he hopes to identify effective strategies to keep more Black men in the computing workforce.
Dr. Cain’s personal journey into computing also informs his research. Growing up in Atlanta, he attended a high school with limited access to computers, and his experiences at a historically Black university have deeply influenced his approach to research. He focuses on the lived experiences of Black men in computing, aiming to provide insights that can lead to tangible outcomes in increasing diversity within the field. Dr. Cain realized the stark lack of diversity in computing during his first week of graduate school at Auburn University. “I looked around and counted only nine Black people—it was a shocking contrast to my HBCU experience, and I began asking myself, ‘Where are the Black students, the women, and other minorities?’”
Dr. Cain believes that his research will encourage others to broaden their understanding of diversity-related issues in computing. He hopes that more projects will be funded and initiated over time, leading to effective strategies not only to attract more Black individuals into the computing workforce but also to retain them. His commitment to this research reflects a dedication to advancing higher education and creating more inclusive opportunities within the tech industry.
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