Increasing the participation of Black and Latinx students and faculty in nuclear physics

The U.S. nuclear physics workforce representation is drastically different than its population. This problem is not new and a plethora of programs have tried to tackle this issue for several decades targeting under-represented and marginalized groups. However, while only very few achieved some level of noticeable successes, all have provided some localized changes, even if minute. One of the main outcomes from all these efforts is a flat distribution at the percent level or less in the representation of these communities in nuclear physics over the past 30 years. The Facility for Rare Isotope Beams at Michigan State University has embarked on an aggressive effort to try to establish nationwide initiatives spanning from pre-college to professionals supported by Michigan State University, the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy. These efforts, combined with many others across the U.S., are expected to be paradigm shifts and facilitate unique collaborations with higher education institutions and/or national facilities. Furthermore, successful programs require solid foundations for longevity in order to “move the needle”, a component that is also integrated in this endeavor to be sustainable in order to ensure growth and long-term impacts. A review of some of these programs will be presented and discussed.