Tech Trek Reflection

As we move deeper into the digital world, the importance of STEM education is becoming more and more apparent. Unfortunately, however, the gender ratio continues to be skewed with men dominating - in both classrooms and the working world. Among the challenges women face in entering STEM fields are stigma and a lack of support. Fem4STEM aims to breach these barriers by providing girls and women a platform to showcase their abilities, as well as meet other women who share a passion for STEM. We believe strongly that advancing STEM education requires collaboration between industry, educators, and families. As such, we have partnered with a number of clubs and professors at

Promoting women’s equality in the workplace has been a central focus throughout my professional life. As a journeywoman carpenter (prior to my current academic career), I volunteered as a project leader for the Oregon Tradeswomen Inc., OTI (http://www.tradeswomen.net/) in Portland, Oregon. In this role, I taught women in OTI’s apprentice program introductory skills that allowed them to enroll in various trade union training programs throughout the Pacific Northwest. The goal of this work was simple, to increase the number of women in careers that were predominately male-dominated. At every stage of my academic career, I’ve made a concerted effort to mentor female students, and took great joy in watching them succeed. I believe that serving

Some implications of this study are that women- only STEM programs can benefit women in general, but minorities in particular, and these kinds of programs should be studied and implemented to assure that women will get the help they need to succeed. The question that this study leaves unanswered, that Rosenthal, L., London, B., & Levy, S.R. (2011) answer, is: What explains this sense of belonging that women feel?

She has worked with women who are entering fields all across the STEM spectrum and was able to touch on personal stories from her students along with her own experiences as a woman in the workforce. The leader in her character is displayed as she touches on the powerful emotions she experiences when working with some of the most gifted STEM women that we should expect to make strides in the future. Women such as those she works with at the Douglass Project only have one ceiling to break through. It has nothing to do with their talents and capabilities, but rather everything to do with the negative stigmas in our society. For the sake of these women, speaking to Beth has pushed me to use my voice even more than I ever have before. I also hope to share certain pieces of this interview with a woman who is passionate about science, but maybe doubts her ability to do well in the field based on these stigmas. Overall, having this interview with Beth has strengthened my passion for being an advocate on the solutions needed to combat this

I’ve always believed that women should have the same opportunities as men and can be just as successful leaders in society. I briefly looked into the military, took the ASVAB entrance exam and considered becoming a deployed doctor; however, I realized my passion lies within something else. Engineering and science, two programs that mostly consist of men, has become what I strive for. Within the past couple weeks I was able to shadow and work in the lab with several Sanford Hospital researchers and I found that although women are less represented in the science/engineering field, we can still achieve the same potential that any man

Before women to get more involved in the STEM fields women first have to go and get degrees in STEM undergraduate programs. One way to help change this is the lack of female role models. Girls need role models to show that they can be successful in STEM fields. If there are such strong gender stereotypes it might be discouraging women from pursuing STEM education and STEM jobs. It is complicated to get young women role models because the people who are part of the hiring team said that were less likely to say they would hire the female applicants overall and that they would offered them lower salaries and fewer mentoring opportunities. This is a problem because women will be less likely to want to get into these fields because they will have to work so much harder to get the same recognition as the males. Young girls will be more interested in getting into one of these fields where they fear comfortable. Young girls need a role model like Emily Roebling who studied math and science and became the chief engineer in the building of the Brooklyn Bridge in 1860. Another reason that girls are less likely to pursue these majors is gender stereotyping, and less family-friendly flexibility in the STEM fields. Across all STEM fields, female PhDs have lower rates of patenting and entrepreneurship than do male PhDs. This difference is most pronounced in physics, astronomy and the computer sciences, in which women earned only 1 in 5 PhDs. There is a need to encourage and support women in

As a leading science-based regulator, what role can CFIA play to encourage the pursuit of science among young women, thereby supporting our recruitment efforts? How can we make CFIA an employer of choice for women seeking work in a science-based environment? I am excited to be the new Champion for the Women's Circle and am looking forward to working to address these questions and other issues faced by women within the Agency." – Colleen

The UBC Women in Science (WiS) Club supports their fellow female undergraduate peers with succeeding in the science field. While many women are enrolled in the Science Faculty, not many will continue a career in the sciences. We understand the struggle that women face while completing their education and pursuing their careers in the science field. As so, the WiS club aspires to empower their fellow female undergraduate

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is a beautiful technology oriented university filled with a myriad of advancements in technological studies. As a young woman who is planning to pursue a future in engineering, it is truly inspiring to see Shirley Ann Jackson, a Ph.D., as the President of Rensselaer. She has shown courage and determination by being one of the few women to graduate MIT in her time. During her time at the school, she has put a huge emphasis on the young women on campus. At RPI there is a huge women’s support network, which include the Women at Rensselaer Mentor Program and Women in engineering program and professional societies such as Society for Women Engineers and Women in Computing. Programs like these help young women to

The differing personalities of the two co-founders of STEM Academy at Union High School, Melody Gao and I were essential to the success of our organization. In my sophomore year of high school, I founded a club called STEM Academy with my close friend, Melody, to promote science to elementary school students ranging from kindergarten to 5th graders. It was created as a fairly female dominated club because we wanted young girls to see role models and let them know it’s normal for girls to be interested and good at science. We started our first year volunteering at our nearest elementary school, with approximately 60 students attending, by conducting two to three experiments or demonstrations within a two-hour block. By our senior year, we had

I serve as an Ambassador for the Alamo Academies and speak at the New Student Orientation to share with them the bountiful knowledge and opportunities the program gives us with no cost. My efforts in the program and outstanding performance in my summer internship allowed me to achieve an Honorable Mention from the National Center for Women in Information Technology: Aspirations in Computing, this year. Every day I encourage women to join the STEM field because that is the ticket to the future, I avidly look forward to increasing the representation of women and minorities in the male-dominated IT

This mentoring program will help young women understand their worth and learn leadership skills, plus learn the importance of education. Hillside high would recruit Hillside alumni students who have become successful professionals and can share their experiences of being a teenage girl. We can also recruit outside sources to join the program and teach the young women the importance of self-respect and how to conduct themselves in everyday life. The program can change around the negative mentality some of my fellow female peers may have. It can drive them to want to go college or technical school to become strong individuals and pass on their stories to future generations about how Hillside High School banished feminism through education and mentoring

These opportunities have shown me how much I like seeing my hard work and labour directly making a difference. Also, my mentoring through Girls in Science lets me teach local students about different aspects of science and how women have succeeded in science, despite being discriminated against in the past, while fostering their interest in pursuing STEM-related jobs by showing presentations and conducting hands-on science experiments. Being part of a group that combines history with science, has allowed me to see how discrimination has played a part even in objective fields, such as science. I hope that my students learn about more than fun experiments, instead choosing to pursue their interests in STEM fields for the

During my undergraduate studies at Case Western Reserve University, I will join WISER (Women in Science and Engineering Roundtable) in which I would host events to strengthen women’s presence in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. I have experience doing so; a Girls on the Run mentor, I strongly each girl to pursue their academic interests. I will also participate in CCEL Scholars (Center for Civic Engagement and Learning), where students actively volunteer at a site of their choice. Habitat for Humanity is an organization that has always touched my heart, and I want to help build new homes for families who need them. After my grandparents lost most of their belongings in a house fire two years ago, I have developed a strong

"For decades, industries in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) departments have been dominated by males, assuming that women aren’t capable of being successful in those fields. In addition to fuel extraction, manufacturing, refining, and distribution, the energy sector needs to put a focus on closing the gender gap. As a major business, it is necessary for the energy industry to recruit diverse perspectives from both males and females in order to excel our planet to one that is knowledgeable about our economy in relation to energy.