Everyone loves a happy ending. The underdog wins it all. The two leads fall in love. Harry destroys Voldemort. You get the idea. Moreover, we all deserve this happy ending.
Now, I’m here to tell you about one of the greatest “rise-to-the-top” moments in all of history: women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields. But I’m not just talking about girls kicking ass in the lab. I’m referring to increased diversity and the driving forces making this success story possible.
A few weeks ago, Tim Hunt took a giant tumble into the spotlight for his comments during a speech in South Korea where he stated that female scientists are good for nothing except crying and falling in love. But guess what? There are men and female scientists empowering women in STEM, and we’re here to give them endless rounds of applause. Here are seven powerhouses that are changing the STEM world for women each and every day:
1. Scott McGregor, President and CEO of Broadcom Corporations.
This man is behind the program Design_CODE_Build that works to engage middle school girls in the world of computer science. Activities promote teamwork and problem solving through hands-on projects. This program, also partnered with Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA, links students to mentors from local tech companies. The mission? Make science and engineering look fun. (I promise, it’s possible!)
2. Edie Fraser, CEO of Million Women Mentors & STEMConnector.org
To say the least, Edie Fraser has built up her resume over the years. As a business leader, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, her forward thinking, and determination has built Million Women Mentors and STEMConnector.org among other organizations and serves as a Senior Consultant to Diversified Research, a firm ranked first in diversity hiring and track record results, according to her profile at STEMConnector. Fraser deservedly has been the recipient of over 40 awards in diversity and Women’s Leadership. (She kinda knows what she’s doing.)
As CEO, Fraser leads Million Women Mentors towards more success. This initiative looks to connect one million STEM mentors to young women. Most importantly, however, Million Women Mentors calls for both female and male advisors*. If young women only seek out female mentors, limitations already have set in. Fraser understands that a successful mentoring process requires a deep, engaged connection – no matter the sex of the mentor or mentee.
Fraser was also asked to develop a system that cataloged “who’s doing what in STEM education.” STEMConnector was created as a way to accomplish this and expose all sorts of collaboration in STEM around the nation. This network is a critical resource built from extremely respected leaders in diversity and data collection with Fraser at the forefront.
Just head to Fraser’s LinkedIn page to feel inspired/overwhelmed.
*Tim Hunt will most likely not be asked to work as an advisor.
3. Jonathan Eisen, Molecular Biologist at University of California Davis
The online magazine STEM Women highlighted Jonathan Eisen’s gender equality advocacy work in the article “How Men Can Help.” While the genome research lab he worked in had more men than women scientists, Eisen really noticed the depths of gender inequality at a biology conference in 2012 where there was a 25:1 male to women speaker ratio. I think Eisen summarizes the current situation best: “If we want science to be the best and cutting edge – doing new and interesting things – then why have we potentially abandoned half of the population?” Eisen notes that one of the first steps in solving any problem is openly discussing it. Even more, people in positions of power, such as executives, need to lead by example.
4. Julia and Christina Tartaglia, Founders of Scientista
Success is the product of excellent leadership. These two sisters exemplify that very well. Julia disliked that most of her Harvard professors were male. She then created W.I.S.E. Words, a magazine that mainly told stories of women in STEM fields. Winning a $2,500 grant and workspace from Harvard’s i3 Challenge, Julia, and Christina, also a Harvard alum, turned W.I.S.E. Words into a foundation now called Scientista. Beyond having a super fun name, Scientista focuses on pre-professional women in STEM by developing content in blogs, communities at campuses and conferences to meet different chapter.
The Tartaglia sisters set out to create a “one-stop resource” for college and graduate women since most universities at the time had very little for their females in STEM. They take a look at each of the eleven colleges that Scientista partners with and determine what each is missing, such as programs or a web presence. Scientista holds the prestigious honor of being named a “Top 12 Amazing Organization for Women in STEM.”
Julia Tartaglia notes of STEM, “They’re still the top paying jobs. If you’re interested in having a good job and stability, having a job in STEM is really going to guarantee that.”
5. Bernadette Rotolo; SVP of Applications Development and Maintenance, Adecco Group North American
Bernadette Rotolo was honored as one of the top 100 Women Leaders in STEM, presented by STEMconnector™. Before taking her talents to Adecco Group, the largest staffing company in the world, Rotolo worked in consulting at a top IT company called Accenture. When asked about how society can assure more women in STEM, Rotolo replied, “We must invest in education attracting strong teachers that are competent and passionate about the STEM subjects…Finally, educate the parents to be more involved with their children’s education and encourage them their children to succeed.”
We love the focus Rotolo puts on educators and parental figures. Nothing is better than a hard-core support system!
6. Bryant Stewart; Lead Product Marketing Manager, Small Business Marketing, AT&T
Bryant Stewart is a contributor to the Huffington Post and promotor of diversity and performance. He most recently authored the article “5 Ways Men Can Inspire and Encourage Women in STEM.” He described a personal experience from 2001 as a teenager in a technical high school where he studied computer and networking technology. “It didn’t take long for me to look around and ask like teenage boys are wired to do, ‘where are all the girls?’ There were none.” It’s so important to note the innocence with which children view diversity. Stewart goes on to address the five ways to motivate women in STEM:
First, friendship. He says, “This one is for the fathers. Make it fun. Take your daughter and her friends on a play date to the science museum.”
Second, respect. Credentials are credentials. Experimental tests cannot tell the difference between a male or female scientists. They are solely based on the laws of nature. Male and females both earn great test results.
Third, individuality. “To those who manage people in STEM, encourage collaboration.”
Fourth, confidence. “Oftentimes, men interpret a women’s confidence in a technical subject as intimidating or aggressive.” This is so important! Women must continue to be confident despite any judgment.
And finally, retention. Retention comes from feeling valued and knowing you bring something to the table.
7. Cheryl Knobloch, Associate Director of Engineering Diversity at Penn State University
Cheryl Knobloch serves as an engineering professor and as the director of the Women in Engineering Program at Penn State University, focusing on pre-college recruitment and retention of women in engineering. I can personally attest to how enthusiastic and successful she is at empowering young ladies as I am a student actively involved in many of her programs. When I asked her if I could include her in this article, she responded by saying, “Anything we can do to keep the women in STEM fire burning and spark those conversations is valuable.”
Cheryl is also part of WEPAN, the Women in Engineering Proactive Network, whose members share ideas at an annual conference (where Cheryl spoke in June 2015) on how to promote more gender diversity in welcoming environments. As I have come to learn, Cheryl believes in bombarding young girls interested in math and science with positive role models. As for older ladies going through an engineering program, a sense of “shared enterprise” must exist within this group because it serves as a support system.
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One of the most important things worth noting about empowering women in any area of life is that the process is NOT like a teeter-totter where the women have to push the men down in order to rise to the top. That is just completely counterproductive to any progress. (This is the point at which I pull out the cliché, “Two minds are better than one.”) It makes for a real good kumbaya moment.
And hopefully this isn’t a happy ending for women in STEM. It’s just the beginning.
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