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The STEM talent shortage in the U.S. isnt caused by lack of student interest in science, technology, engineering, and math. It is caused by us overlooking and under-supporting the students who are most capable of driving the innovation economy forward. For years, policymakers have rung alarm bells about the shrinking American STEM pipeline. The data is sobering: While Japan, China, and Korea award over 40% of their college degrees in STEM fields, the U.S. lags behind at under 20%, according to the Center for Security and Emerging Technology. As the global economy becomes more knowledge-based, America’s ability to compete depends on whether we can widen and diversify the pool of STEM talent. Much of the public narrative around STEM has mainly focused on students who are behind grade level and need additional supports to catch up. But an equally urgent and far less discussed issue is the vast population of students who are ready to accelerate but remain invisible in our systems. Schools need to actively recruit students According to a report by The Education Trust and Equal Opportunity Schools (EOS), more than 640,000 Black, Latino, and low-income students who are academically capable are missing from Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate courses each year. These students often attend schools that offer advanced coursework, but they are not actively enrolled in those programs. The problem isn’t one of supply. The courses exist. The opportunity gap lives inside the enrollment lists. Even more telling, College Board data shows that many Black and Latino students have already demonstrated their potential to succeed in AP-level math and science through PSAT performance. Yet they are never invited to take the leap. The result? A leaky pipeline that loses capable students who might have become engineers, data scientists, or biotech innovators. At EOS, we’ve partnered with hundreds of districts across the country to identify and enroll these “missing students.” Our work proves that when schools take an intentional, data-driven approach to proactively recruit underrepresented students into rigorous courses the results are transformative. Students are ready for advanced coursework This isn’t about fixing students; it’s about fixing opportunity and adult mindsets. A rigorous independent evaluation by George Smith and researchers at Mathematica found EOS significantly increased AP course enrollmentparticularly among underserved students. Practically, this means enrolling an average of 52 additional students per schooltwo full classrooms of previously overlooked young people. Furthermore, there was no difference in the schools average AP exam performance, which underscores an important truth: These students were always ready for advanced coursework. Without proactively identifying and enrolling them, they would have continued to fall through the cracks. Targeted supports yield substantial returns Identifying and enrolling students is only the beginning. To ensure students and teachers thrive, capacity-building must follow enrollment. The National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) College Readiness Program has shown that, in participating schools, students enrolled in more AP science courses and increased the number of earned college credits. Female students and Black students, in particular, saw significant gains. Within six years, 28% of Black NMSI students earned STEM degreescompared to 12% of the general national student population. Among female students, 27% of NMSI students earned STEM degrees within six yearsversus 12% nationally. What made the difference? A multi-tiered support system: ongoing teacher training, student prep sessions, curriculum resources, reduced exam fees, and targeted incentives. This type of capacity-building suggests that small, targeted investments can yield substantial returns. Unlike intensive interventions designed to help students reach grade-level proficiency, many high-potential students hovering just below AP readiness may benefit from lighter-touch supports such as adaptive learning tools to fine-tune gaps, short-term tutoring to reinforce core concepts, and professional development that equips teachers to deliver rigorous, culturally affirming instruction. The good news is this approach may be more scalable than we think. The marginal cost of providing these additional supports for students who are already academically proximate to advanced coursework is relatively low compared to the long-term payoff in postsecondary success and workforce readiness. Strategic touchpoints with adaptive learning, targeted tutoring, and additional resources can significantly propel students forward. Unleashing the full potential of those ready to soarespecially when so many of them have been overlooked for far too long, yields meaningful dividends for students. EOS-identified students have passed over 290,000 AP exams since 2011-2012, which would amount to roughly $345 million in college tuition and fee savings for EOS-partner students and their families based on trends in pricing. Final thoughts The STEM pipeline isn’t just leaking at the bottomits leaking at the top too. Policymakers, educators, and business leaders must center opportunity as the foundation for improving outcomes. Bold action is required, such as establishing competitive grant programs for states and districts to increase enrollment and success of underrepresented students in advanced coursework. Investing in students ready to accelerate, leveraging adaptive learning and targeted tutoring, and scaling proven initiatives like EOS and NMSI are essential next steps. Our economic future and national competitiveness depend on fully tapping all of Americas talent. Antonio Gutierrez is CEO at Equal Opportunity Schools and Co-founder of Saga Education.
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E-Commerce
Many families now have a new reality when they visit their pediatricians office. Instead of leaving with more questions, they have answers and a real plan. Genomic testing, once reserved for rare or complex cases and ordered by specialists, is rapidly becoming a standard tool in pediatric care. The latest guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), released this year, recommends using exome and genome sequencing as a first-tier test for more children, particularly those with developmental delays and intellectual disabilities. More than one in three children with developmental delays, intellectual disabilities, or autism have an underlying genetic condition that can be found using genetic testing. Given known genetic links to autism, pediatricians can now genomic insights right from the start, moving forward bringing answers and actionable next steps in a childs care journey. This shift is transforming how we diagnose, treat, and support kids with unexplained medical challenges. Invest in science Spun out of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), GeneDx was founded 25 years ago on the belief that genomic science could fundamentally change how we diagnose and treat disease. At the time, this field felt like the frontier, a promising but distant future, more exploration than clinical applications. Today, that vision is a reality. GeneDx has discovered more than 500 links between specific genes and diseases. What once felt futuristic is now central to modern pediatric care. Genomic testing has become faster, more affordable, and more accessible. The updated AAP guidance means genomic testing should be integrated into every familys pediatric office. It should be used to diagnose rare diseases and understand the genetic cause of common conditions like autism and epilepsy with greater speed and precision. Its not just about understanding the root cause, its about accelerating the path to accurate treatment that can change or save children’s lives. This transformation didnt happen overnight. It was the result of decades of scientific investmentour collective bet on the future of healthcareto one day ensure children live longer and healthier lives. That investment paid off. Genomic testing not only improves outcomes for patients and families, but it also reduces overall healthcare costs through fewer unnecessary tests and procedures, earlier diagnoses, and more targeted interventions and treatments. Continued investments in science and medicine are essential. Advancing access to genomic testing isnt just about whats possible today, its about building a healthcare system thats smarter, more sustainable, and truly patient-centered. Why genomic testing matters What was once only available to few, is now broadly available. Genomic testing offers immediate and profound benefits for families. For children facing developmental delays or other unexplained health issues, a single test can sometimes reveal the underlying cause in weeks or even days, in critical situations. This means families no longer must endure months or sometimes years of uncertaintywith multiple rounds of inconclusive tests, uninformative specialist visits, or unnecessary medical bills and suffering. Instead, clear answers can arrive quickly, allowing everyone to move forward with personalized treatment plans in confidence. With a genetic diagnosis in hand, doctors can provide truly targeted care, tailoring treatments, therapies, and support to fit the unique needs for a diagnosis and in some cases, even stop disease progression. A confirmed diagnosis also opens doors to early intervention, specialized care teams, clinical trials, and support networks that might otherwise remain out of reach. Exome and genome testing are transforming the path to answers and support for children and their families, and now its more accessible than ever before. Looking ahead We see the AAPs guidance as a major milestone, bringing genomics into everyday pediatric care. And for the first time, genomics is equipping pediatricians with critical insights to support early diagnosis and intervention. But this is just the beginning. Were still in the early chapters of what genomic science and care can unlock. To fully realize its potential, we must continue investing in innovation and driving progress that elevates the standard of care across every clinical setting. Where a child accesses care should never determine their outcome. Today, we see genomic insights shaping the future in pediatricians’ offices. Tomorrow, we envision a world where every babys genome is sequenced at birth, giving families the power to stop disease before symptoms even start. My career has been dedicated to expanding access to genomic testing, and I commend the AAP for helping pave the way toward a new standard of care, one where genomics plays a central role in improving pediatric health outcomes nationwide. The path to answersand to hopehas never been more accessible. Bringing genomics into the hands of every pediatrician marks a critical step toward shortening the diagnostic journey for families, enabling earlier intervention, and reducing costs for both patients and the healthcare system. Its a meaningful advancement in pediatric care, and one that brings us closer to a future where children can be diagnosed before symptoms even begin. Britt Johnson, PhD, FACMG, is head of medical affairs at GeneDx
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E-Commerce
In Sierra Leone, a motorcyclist pulls into a roadside stationnot for gas, but to swap in a fully charged solar-powered battery. Across Nigeria, families flick on solar lanterns, children study after dark, midwives deliver babies, and televisions hum to lifeall without ever connecting to a power grid. This is climate innovation where it matters most. No legacy infrastructure. No hand-wringing. Just necessity, invention, and momentum. Africa isnt waiting for the grid. Its building its own futuresolar-first, mobile-ready, and designed for the realities of life off the map. On a continent where 600 million peopleroughly half its populationhave no or unreliable access to electricity, theres no choice. And no company has scaled that future like d.light. Built for places the grid forgot d.light began in a Stanford classroomthe now-legendary Design for Extreme Affordability course at the d.school, Stanfords design program. Its first product? A solar lamp created for rural Myanmar, durable enough to survive being trampled by a cow. It wasnt made for eco-conscious Americans. But that didnt stop a sample from landing in a Sirius Satellite Radio studio in 2007, where I was hosting The Lazy Environmentalist. At the time, it was novel: a low-cost solar gadget at a moment when green products were attention-grabbing but pricey. But the real story was only just beginning. The rocket ship that stayed off the radar While media attention drifted during the 2008 recession, d.light went heads-down. Ned Tozun, then newly married and fresh out of Stanford, moved to Shenzhen to work directly with Chinese manufacturers. His cofounder, Sam Goldman, relocated to India to launch sales. Together, they were building a venture-backed rocket ship for impactdesigning for durability, scaling a global supply chain, and figuring out how to finance solar for families without access to banks. Seventeen years later, d.light is an overnight success. It now powers over 30 million homes across Africa and has reached around 200 million people in 72 countries. With operations in Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, and India, the company employs 1,200 staff and 15,000 local sales agents to reach last-mile customers in rural communities. A grid of their own d.lights products are designed to deliver a grid-like lifestyle, without the grid. The product line includes solar panel kits, batteries, ultra-efficient appliances, and even televisions. Children can study after dark. Families no longer rely on hazardous kerosene. Local economies run longer and safer. Critically, d.light isn’t just a hardware company. It’s also a fintech platform, having extended $638 million in loans to underbanked customers. Its pay-as-you-go financing model has unlocked solar access for millions of low-income households. The numbers tell the story: 91 million school-aged children reached with solar lighting 32 million households powered 40 million tons of CO emissions offset By 2030, their goal is clear: Transform one billion lives. New backing, bigger stage In June, d.light was tapped as a key participant in Nigerias $750 million DARES program, a World Bankfunded initiative to bring solar power to millions of the country’s citizens. The timing couldnt be more relevant. At a moment when clean energy funding for the developing world is at the center of climate negotiationsyet rich nations continue to stalld.light is already moving. Access to low-cost Chinese solar panels has made the economics viable. And Africas entrepreneurial climate is meeting the challenge with urgency and creativity. Between 2015 and 2024, Africas installed solar power capacity jumped from 2.1 gigawatts to 15.4 gigawatts. Thats more than 7x growth in a decade. Electric mobility, without the grid Household power isnt the only thing going off-grid. Mobility is, too. Take MAX, a Nigeria-based electric vehicle company that produces rugged e-motorcycles specifically for the African market. Priced around $2,000 and bundled with lease-to-own financing, MAXs bikes are built for affordability, reliability, and rugged conditions. The company operates battery-swap stations along key commercial routes in Lagos, Nigerias financial and commercial hub, to keep drivers on the move. Last year, MAX partnered with Energicity, a venture-backed startup building solar-powered minigrids across West Africa. The result: a fully solar, zero-carbon mobility systemlocally designed, locally powered, and built without ever touching a legacy utility. The rollout began in Sierra Leone, where MAX riders now recharge their vehicles using Energicitys solar stations. The vision is bold: Let clean energy flow through every part of the economy, from household lighting to logistics. The future isnt waiting Africas energy future wont resemble Europes or Americas. Instead, its turning its infrastructure liabilities into an advantage. By solving for affordability, decentralization, and local resilience, companies like d.light, MAX, and Energicity are proving that clean energy innovation can thrive anywhere. It often starts where the need is greatest. Last November, d.lights Ned was named to the Time100 Climate list, honoring the leaders driving real business action on climate. He joined me on the Supercool podcast to talk about what it takes to build a global climate tech company from the ground up, and why Africa may hold the blueprint for how clean energy scales next. Our job is to make solar accessible to everyone, Ned told me. Not in the future. Right now. Josh Dorfman is the CEO of Supercool.
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