I’m back from giving the Friday Keynote at the GNU Radio Conference 2025 held September 8-12, 2025. The conference was held at the Edward D. Hansen Conference Center in Everett, Washington. I had a great time, got some cool swag, and a HydraSDR RFOne Software Defined Radio to play with!
The conference was inspiring and I want to continue the dialog about bringing radio and wireless back (forward) into to STEM, STEAM, and STEMM education.
It occurs to me that too many of the current STEM activities involve AI and other subjects that the large tech corporations are directing their marketing efforts towards–at a time when they are laying off employees. Are they sincere in attempting to create a pipeline for potential employees or are they seeking new consumers?
My keynote was well received and I got a few questions afterward that I want to expand my answers. So hear goes:
How can we help increase diversity in Ham radio and the RF community?
Start in the school systems to help Black and Latine’ youth create their STEM identities. This should raise the profile of RF and wireless communications as viable careers. Gnu Radio could serve as fertle ground for multiple STEM activities that range from wireless communications through earth sciences. I’m thinking about HamSCI’s measurement and experiments with the ionosphere–these are earth sciences activities.
I would suggest designing demonstrations and experiments that are accessible for children and adults. When I was doing research for my Keynote, I discovered the National Informal STEM Education Network. They are engaging the public, educators, and scientists in the STEM Learning Ecosystem.
The site already has some excellent projects related to radio (see Making Waves with Radio Kit ).
As I said during my keynote, I used to work for the Liberty Science Center. As part of a settlement with Black and Latine’ parents in the state of New Jersey, LSC was obligated to bring in students from school systems that were underresoursed. At that time, we didn’t have any live demonstrations of radio or wireless technology.
Think about volunteering at your local science museum or library and using some of the ideas in the NISENET kit or on IEEE’s Try engineering site to help develop radio demonstrations. Look for ways to include GNU Radio SDRs in these demonstrations.
I had great success using WebSDR.org in the curriculum I helped develop at NRAO. How could you use GNU Radio in accessible demonstrations for libraries, science museums, and faith based institutions, that are part of young people’s STEM Learning Ecosystem?
How can an NGO help increase diversity in ham radio?
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I would also suggest focusing on specific underrepresented groups–I received criticism of the NRAO ham radio project that because the population targeted was so broad (BIPOC and LGBTQIA)–the project favored those who were intersectionally privileged. LGBTQIA and ally white learners were able to participate in most of the activities while very few learners of color could join them.
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I would suggest focusing funding activities that build or support the “upstream” parts of the STEM Learning Ecosystem. What projects interest young Black and Latine’ youth? How can ham clubs bring in Black and Latine’ youth so that they can see what radio and wireless systems are all about? I like the work that NISENET is doing.
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In the US, every state has a STEM Ecosystem program. Not to be confused with STEM Learning Ecosystem–STEM ecosystems attempt to develop and keep STEM employment within the state. Funding opportunities abound! Look for ways to tie in wireless technology with other high interest areas such as Cybersecurity.
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I would first suggest partnering with organizations that are already active in engaging targeted populations in STEM education ecosystem. I’m picking organizations that I believe are not dependent upon federal funding. Here are a few organizations that might be good partners:
- NAACP ACT-SO has a historic record of supporting youth STEM, STEAM, and STEMM achievement. I think that the best approach here is to set up students for ACT-SO awards by funding STEM Learning Ecosystem upstream activities in schools, libraries, museums, etc. through groups like the National Informal STEM Education Network.
- Hack & Hustle(TM) Social Entrepreneurship Academy, Inc. I went to Howard with one of the founders of this excellent project. Their focus on coding might be an opening for exploring wireless projects that envolve coding–like GNU Radio.
- NACME NACME is celebrating 50 years of supporting STEM careers. Some of the people working in this program are former colleagues at Bell Labs.
- NSBE National Society of Black Engineers has a pre-college STEM initiative. They might be open to a wireless or RF-focused initiative.
- 100 Black Men I’m considering joining my local chapter to help infuse wireless into their STEM education project. They are developing a STEM Learning Ecosystem that includes wireless technologies.
- National Society of Black Physicists is an organization with which NRAO had a longstanding relationship before the hateful executive order. I think that they may be open to projects related to earth science.
- Black Girls Code I’ve heard good things about BGC and I think coding dovetails nicely with GNU Radio.
- National Informal STEM Education Network for the reasons mentioned above. Again, they are upstream in the STEM Learning Ecosystem.
The keyword is pipeline. We will have to rebuild the pipeline that existed during The Black Scientific Renaissance of the 1970s-90s.
I’ll add questions as they come in…