This month is women's history month and I am very excited. As women, we don't always take the time to get recognized for our achievements because we just do what we feel is needed to be done in order to meet the needs and desires for ourselves and of those around us. I just want to take a few moments to salute the many women STEM professionals. I will start by saluting those wonderful STEM professionals on our boards, Niara Adero, Keli Holmes, Dr. LaToya Myles and Kimberly White, who are making their contribution to the workforce and doing an exceptional job in their respective fields. I want to salute our program assistant Ms. Angela Hardin, who is creating her own path as a STEM professional.
What I have been noticing this women's history month is that there is more focus on celebrating the contribution that women have made to the STEM disciplines. Even government agencies are celebrating the women that have made contributions in science. Unfortunately, we don't know enough about the stories of women past and present that are having great careers and making a great contribution to society. So it is my quest to learn more of the stories of these great women scientists, engineers and mathematicians, past and present. Not only do I want to honor their contribution, but provide an example for young ladies that are currently in school of women who footsteps they can follow. For STEM careers are truly a woman's work and i want to ensure that women are a part of the future STEM workforce. For those of you who are women STEM professionals be sure to "unveil potential through exposure" by speaking to young ladies about what you do. We truly need to debunk the myth that women can't be great STEM professional; history tells us otherwise. So make some time this month to learn the history and contribution that women have made in science.
Showing posts with label stem professionals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stem professionals. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Celebration of Current African American STEM history makers.
I truly admire our EPA administrator, Ms. Lisa P. Jackson even though I hadn't heard of her until she became current job. What I like about her is that she is a chemical engineer just like me that has utilized her training as an engineer to make a difference in the world. She proves my theory that if you get your training as a scientist or engineer, you will learn skills that are transferable and will allow you to be successful in any career path.
I am a fan of Ms. Jackson's facebook page and she was honored as the The Grio's Top 100 history makers (http://www.thegrio.com/black-history/thegrios-100/). As I reviewed this article, I noticed that there were several African-American STEM professionals on this list and I become excited. One of the things I noticed is that whenever there is talk about famous STEM professionals, most of them are dead. I know that there are African Americans that are alive that are making their contribution to the field. So thank you grio.com for sharing their stories, you should check it out.
Finally, be sure to share this story with the children that you know, especially African American children. I truly believe students that are typically underrepresented in these career paths aren't pursuing this fields not because they don't have the ability, but because they don't see people like them who can serve as role models and mentors. So I encourage you this month and every month to ensure that children get an opportunity to see people like themselves, even if it is in a magazine or a website like this pursuing a diversity of careers. It is my vision that all children believe the words of the hook, which I may be paraphrasing, to one of my favorite rapper NAS's song where he has children singing "I know I can, be what I want to be, if I work hard at it, I can do anything"
I am a fan of Ms. Jackson's facebook page and she was honored as the The Grio's Top 100 history makers (http://www.thegrio.com/black-history/thegrios-100/). As I reviewed this article, I noticed that there were several African-American STEM professionals on this list and I become excited. One of the things I noticed is that whenever there is talk about famous STEM professionals, most of them are dead. I know that there are African Americans that are alive that are making their contribution to the field. So thank you grio.com for sharing their stories, you should check it out.
Finally, be sure to share this story with the children that you know, especially African American children. I truly believe students that are typically underrepresented in these career paths aren't pursuing this fields not because they don't have the ability, but because they don't see people like them who can serve as role models and mentors. So I encourage you this month and every month to ensure that children get an opportunity to see people like themselves, even if it is in a magazine or a website like this pursuing a diversity of careers. It is my vision that all children believe the words of the hook, which I may be paraphrasing, to one of my favorite rapper NAS's song where he has children singing "I know I can, be what I want to be, if I work hard at it, I can do anything"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
About SEM Link
- SEM Link
- Science, Engineering and Mathematics Link, Inc. (SEM Link), a tax-exempt nonprofit organization, was founded in 2004 on the premise that exposure to members of the science, engineering and mathematics (SEM) communities is critical to student development in math and science. Our mission is to promote student achievement and career exploration in math and science while increasing student exposure to the science, engineering and mathematics communities and enhancing resources that are available at local schools and community organizations. Our two core programs, Math and Science Career Academy and Experimental Design Program, provide students with an opportunity to develop their math and science skills by enhancing the classroom learning experience and teaching them skills that are transferable to other areas of life. We recruit students and professionals for our programs that have backgrounds in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.