Latino engineering faculty in the United States

research is the catalyst of discovery that fuels the development of innovative products and services, in turn driving economic growth and global competitiveness. This innovation thrives on the capacities, talents, and experiences of people from various diverse backgrounds; however, engineering itself has a diversity problem on many fronts. One critical concern is the low participation of ethnic minorities in engineering research, an example being US-born Latinos. Latinos are defined as individuals of Mexican, South American (including Brazil), Central American, and Caribbean origin residing in the United States. By contrast, the term Hispanic, as defined by the US government, refers to Spanish-speaking persons living in the United States, especially of Latin American origin, but also including persons from Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries.