National Science and Engineering Week

By Alexis DeVries

National Science and Engineering Week starts on Friday, March 10th, 2023, and ends on Sunday, March 19th. This week of celebration started in the UK in 1994, and it has since grown into one of the largest celebrations of science. According to National Today, science can change society. The advancement of science can help us improve human lives now and in the future. March also happens to be Women’s History and Gender Equality Month, highlighting women's contributions to events in history and contemporary society.

Learning about these upcoming holidays has caused me to reflect a lot on women in STEM. How 74% of girls are interested in a STEM profession, but only 24% of STEM students are women. How women account for 50% of the entire workforce, but women occupy only 22% of STEM jobs. How only 1 in 20 US engineers and scientists are Latina, Black, or another minority. How only 4.8% of CEOs on the Fortune 500 List are female. How women in software development earn $250 less than men, and 56% of women in tech roles end up quitting their jobs. How we live in a society that makes women feel they can’t make it in STEM. How women are hungry to prove themselves in STEM. How women can succeed in STEM if given a chance.

Let's celebrate National Science and Engineering Week by making a change. These science and engineering scholarships could be a great help. Bay Path University’s American Women’s College is the first all-women online accredited bachelor’s degree program in the US. The university is helping women gain the education and leadership skills needed to forge long and successful careers, offering more than 28 degrees to empower women from all backgrounds. Attitudes towards STEM are changing, with Girl Scouts introducing cybersecurity badges and schools establishing STEM clubs to help break down gender stereotypes. According to Fortune 500 statistics, companies with at least three female directors have seen their ROI increase by 66% or more. In the tech industry, overwhelming evidence shows that more diversity leads to innovation and critical thinking flourishes.

In 2015, Katherine Johnson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for a lifetime of work as a pioneering physicist, mathematician, and space scientist. Radia Perlman became an internet pioneer, developing the algorithm behind the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), an innovation that made today’s Internet possible. Grace Hopper invented the first programming language to use English words. Rebecca Cole, the second black woman to graduate from medical school, opened the Women’s Directory Center, providing medical and legal services to impoverished women. Women thrive in STEM and bring whole new perspectives and skill sets. Join me in celebrating this year’s National Science and Engineering Week along with Women’s History Month by spreading stories of women in STEM and encouraging the women and girls in your life to seek out resources and pursue STEM fields.