Maria Goeppert Mayer won the Nobel prize for proposing the nuclear shell model for the atomic nucleus. Edith Clarke was the first female employed as an electrical engineer in the United States. Lillian Gilbreth was the first female industrial psychologist and among the first women to earn a PhD in engineering.
What ties these hall of famers together? They are all women who worked in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) field, and none of them received their due support or recognition. They never received the deserved help and renown their male counterparts had. You probably don’t recognize any of their names, but I’m guessing Nikola Tesla, Isaac Newton and Stephen Hawking are all pretty familiar to you. Can you name one female scientist off the top of your head other than Marie Curie?
If you work in STEM fields as a student, teacher or professional and you feel you’re not getting the support, access to resources or recognition for your hard work that you deserve, then check us out.
Feminine Empowerment through STEM is a group local to East Texas founded by me, Claire McGuire, that works to strengthen, empower, support and celebrate feminine individuals who have been suppressed within STEM fields. Growing up, I never had any female role models in STEM that I could draw support from. I had to go out and find my own way, with several mistakes and false starts. I want to give young women a chance to get farther along in the STEM field than I have, and with fewer missteps and mistakes. I want young women to feel empowered by their intelligence, strength and willpower to achieve what they dare to change.
Feminine Empowerment through STEM events include a book club, where we are reading works by or about women/feminine individuals, highlighting difficulties faced by some in the field of STEM.
We are also working on virtual workshops for participants that cover topics such as how to write a resume and how to interview well to prepare and equip young women for STEM careers and fields.
Finally, we’re working in conjunction with the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Texas at Tyler to put together virtual events for every field within the college. Artists, theologians and scientists will come together to discuss their fields and experiences.
Interested? Reach out at the Feminine Empowerment through STEM Facebook page or call/text (903) 720-8131.
Claire McGuire is a native East Texan who recently moved to Tyler. Her happy places include the serenity of a moonlit lake and the rational and research-based nature of the chemistry lab. She plans to pursue a PhD in Physical Chemistry after graduating from the University of Texas at Tyler. This summer she has been working to launch something that Tyler has never seen: a supportive, celebratory, intergenerational community centered on feminine empowerment through STEM, focused on area-wide middle and high school youth.
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