Socioeconomic status

Promoting diversity in STEM fields is essential to fostering innovation and addressing global challenges. Despite extensive efforts, the representation of minority groups, including women, in undergraduate computer science and engineering programs remains low, posing significant barriers to equity and inclusivity in STEM education (Nicole & DeBoer, 2020).
This systematic review explores the socio-economic and cultural challenges discouraging minority students from pursuing degrees, specifically computer science and engineering disciplines. A comprehensive literature search was conducted across databases such as IEEE Xplore, Google Scholar, and Scopus using specific search terms. Studies were chosen based on clear inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Data was carefully extracted and analyzed, focusing on primary obstacles such as the scarcity of role models, biases, and educational barriers. To evaluate the quality of the studies included in the review, Covidence’s quality assessment tools were used, ensuring methodological rigor and consistency across the studies.

Water treatment facilities across the United States are known for providing high-quality drinking water to their residents. However, differences in treatment methods, aging infrastructure, and outdated household plumbing may affect the quality of drinking water by the time it reaches the consumer’s tap. Palm Beach County, Florida, is an area with large socioeconomic contrasts where some families live in dilapidated structures and others reside in luxurious, gated communities. This research highlights the variation of household water quality by determining metal concentrations in tap water samples in communities of different socioeconomic status. In addition, interviews were conducted with personnel from five different Water Treatment Plants (WTPs) in the study area to understand the relationship between customers and their water utility. Results indicate that effective communication strategies are needed to boost public trust and fill critical information gaps about the water treatment process. Ninety-six tap water samples were collected from households throughout eastern Palm Beach County and analyzed for different metals using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry. Surveys were also administered at the same households where tap water samples were collected. Residents were asked about their perceptions of tap water and social and economic questions regarding their household characteristics. A Socioeconomic Status (SES) index was created using Principal Components Analysis (PCA) to understand how perceptions of tap water quality and concentrations of metals in household tap water vary based on SES. Results provide evidence that those living in the lowest-ranking SES neighborhoods are the least satisfied with their tap water quality and consume less tap water than those living in higher SES neighborhoods. Water quality results highlighted large variations in concentrations of aluminum (Al) and thus, analyses focused specifically on how Al concentrations varied according to SES. Results from Ordinary Least Squares regression show that as socioeconomic status decreases, the concentration of Al in tap water increases. Six samples exceed the State of Florida’s Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level (SMCL) for Al, and five of those samples were found in the lowest-ranking SES neighborhoods (SES 1 and 2). The results of this research provide evidence that inequities in household water quality exist across eastern Palm Beach County, Florida.