"Achieving the Dream: My Life in Math and Science, Defying Barriers and Living Diversity in STEM" by Doctor Sylvester James "Jim" Gates Jr.
Thursday, October 19, 2023 at the John S. Toll Physics Building
On Thursday, October 19, 2023, I had the honor of listening to one of the University of Maryland's most profound professors: Doctor Sylvester James "Jim" Gates Jr.. Located in lecture hall 1410 of the John S. Toll Physics Building, Professor Gates presented "Achieving the Dream: My Life in Math and Science, Defying Barriers and Living Diversity in STEM."
The main focus of this lecture was the discussion of Dr. Gate's life. Dr. Gates began his lecture by giving an introduction of his parents and childhood. Dr. Gates grew up on army bases for most of his youth. On these bases, he was never met with segregation. From a young age, Dr. Gates was fascinated with science and this passion stuck with him. When he moved to Orlando, Florida, he was surprised by the segregation of his middle and high school. He felt discouraged to apply to MIT until his father forced him to, knowing that MIT was his son’s dream. Dr. Gates did not find immediate success at MIT. After struggling for several semesters, Dr. Gates found therapy through bowling. Bowling was an outlet for Dr. Gates to relieve stress while also making connections to physics. With the help of many mentors, professors, and colleagues, Dr. Gates was able to graduate with two BS degrees in both Mathematics and Physics as well as a PhD. Dr. Gates went on to complete many amazing accomplishments. His work on supersymmetry, supergravity, and superstring theory is famous and groundbreaking.
Dr. Gates' presentation was extremely interesting and I find myself very fortunate to have been able to hear him speak. Most of what Dr. Gates had discussed was about his personal life and his experiences. Some of the main points Dr. Gates continued to bring up throughout his presentation were the obstacles he has faced throughout his life as an African-American man. Early in life, Dr. Gates noticed the difference between black and white high schools. Dr. Gates stated that he felt as though, "my society was betting against me because of my ethnicity." Dr. Gates was astonished when he was admitted into MIT, as it was the late 1960s and he did not expect the school to have accepted a black man. While Dr. Gates was facing this issue about fifty years ago, he believes that race is still a prevalent aspect of college admissions. However, people of color are facing racial issues with college admissions in a different way. Today, some college admissions say that they will not look at race when admitting students as a way to take away any sort of bias. Dr. Gates believes that this process of ignoring people’s race and ethnicity is even more unfair. Dr. Gates emphasizes that the divide between black and white people is still prevalent. In schooling, black children are often attending schools that are unequally funded compared to schools with a majority of white children. So, by ignoring a person's race during college admissions, the university is ignoring the unfairness of legacies and wealth. Dr. Gates believes that college admissions should look at the races and ethnicities of applicants to understand how those students have been disproportionately affected by underfunded educations, extracurriculars, and resources. I believe that these points that Dr. Gates made were extremely convincing. As someone who has just recently experienced the college application and admission process, I know firsthand that there are so many intricate and minuscule details that go into getting accepted to a school. So, I understand and agree with Dr. Gates' point that colleges should look at people’s race and ethnicity when they apply to a college so that the school can have the best understanding of the opportunities and/or limits that person may have faced throughout their life. Dr. Gates emphasized that diversity will lead to higher levels of innovation. He stated that by limiting the number of people in STEM, opportunities for greatness will be taken away. I believe that this is extremely accurate because everyone should have the chance to succeed in the field that they want to.
In conclusion, Doctor Sylvester James "Jim" Gates Jr.’s presentation "My Life in Math and Science, Defying Barriers and Living Diversity in STEM" was profound. I learned so much about a man who has made so many important discoveries, and I am very grateful for this opportunity.