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"I have always had an interest in trying to apply my mathematics to help mankind as best I could." --Abdul-Aziz Yakubu

As a black man in South Africa, Philander had to cope with apartheid's brutal white-supremacist system on his path to becoming a scientist.

"Ultimately, the MAS site is successful in providing a simple, community-oriented site for underrepresented minorities interested in aquatic sciences."

Established in 1990 with funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Louisiana Board of Regents, the Timbuktu Academy is an award-winning mentoring program for underrepresented minorities in STEM fields.

Bustamante has traveled far and learned what it takes to become a scientist in the demanding world of biomedical research.

"The proposition would have banned colleges and universities in the state from collecting and using most racial and ethnic information. "

“I’d like to be here [longer]. But now my wife and my baby are in Japan, so I have to go back.”

NOAA Fisheries, based in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, has a long history of fostering minority development in the sciences.

Hayes has become the youngest professor at the University of California at Berkeley, earning tenure at 30, when most scientists are at still postdocs and many are graduate students.

--Dr. Willie Pearson, chair of Georgia Tech's School of History, Technology, and Society

Through it all, she bettered her skills and honed her experience until she could get her dream job--combining her knack for communicating with her science training.

The loss of these highly educated professionals from developing countries to developed nations has been termed "brain drain" or reverse transfer of technology.

--Dr. Willie Pearson, chair of Georgia Tech's School of History, Technology, and Society

From the director and board to the directorates and offices at NSF, these specialists play a vital role in making sure the science policy "machine" runs smoothly.