Balancing gender equality from the roots to the tips
Less than 25% of computer science and engineering students are women and far fewer graduate and pursue careers in those fields (National Science Board, 2018). Women remain drastically underrepresented in many STEM fields and these numbers are compounded by race, socio-economic status, and disability (National Science Foundation, 2019). These gender disparities are rooted in issues of identity, agency and confidence and we need a holistic approach to tackling these issues. Community and cultural organisations play a critical role in creating pathways for girls’ lifelong positive interaction with science, technology, engineering, computer science and mathematics.
This session addresses gender equality from the roots to the tips, considering the latest findings and strategies for success which will then be discussed as a group.
Session speakers
National Girls Collaborative
Karen Peterson will share experiences from more than 15 years of work within the United States and globally connecting research to practice for educators focused on increasing the engagement of girls in STEM. Free resources and highlights from a new partnership with ASTC entitled the IF/THEN Collection will be shared.
Jennifer Breslin has worked over 20 years on Science, Technology, Innovation (STI) and Organizational Learning in the United Nations System and as the Executive Director of a non-profit she founded focused on building inclusive and socially responsible STEAM. She was responsible for having built or significantly expanded STI portfolios in three UN organizations, most recently in establishing and leading the UN Women Innovation Facility. As Executive Director of Futuristas, her newest venture, she is working with a range of partners to advance STEAM experiential learning in youth programming and build a science ecosystem that better responds to the needs of all society. Her projects include work with science and technology museums and centers, the space sector, creative industries, environmental groups, and the UN.
Former Head, Education & Learning
Anita Krishnamurthi is Wellcome's new Head of Education and Learning. Anita is a scientist and passionate advocate for equitable access to STEM education. She moved from a research career in astrophysics to one in informal STEM education after recognizing the disconnect between scientists’ joy and enthusiasm for science and the public’s disengagement from this vital enterprise.
Anita received her PhD in astronomy from The Ohio State University and conducted her postdoctoral work at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She has been immersed in science education and outreach to a wide variety of audiences for the past two decades in a range of roles - as a Program Officer in the Office on Public Understanding of Science at the National Academy of Sciences; a Program Manager at NASA Headquarters for the Science Mission Directorate’s education program; the Lead for Education and Public Outreach in the Astrophysics Division at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center; the John Bahcall Public Policy Fellow at the American Astronomical Society; and most recently, as Vice President for STEM Policy at the Afterschool Alliance where she launched and led the Alliance’s STEM efforts. Here, she worked at the intersection of policy, research, and partnerships with national, state and local partners to determine and support national priorities for afterschool STEM policy, research and field-support.
