In this episode, I talk to Alexis Clark, P.E., M.ASCE, who you’re used to hearing from as our show’s co-host, but instead, in honor of International Women's Day, Alexis talks to us about the nonprofit organization she works with to enhance the diversity of women in STEM.
Engineering Quotes:
Here Are Some of the Questions We Ask Alexis:
What is The GEMS Camp and their mission, and how you were introduced to it?
Why is this so important?
How has The GEMS Camp grown over time and what can we expect of GEMS in the future?
Why did you personally get involved with this organization?
Have you experienced professional benefits from being involved with GEMS?
What are some of the ways our listeners can empower women of diverse backgrounds to pursue a career in STEM or engineering?
Here Are Some of the Key Points Discussed About the Diversity in STEM:
The GEMS Camp is a niche organization, but its impact is huge. GEMS is an acronym for “Girls interested in Engineering, Math, and Science.” The program is focused on some of the most diverse groups and building confidence in underrepresented Black and Latina teen girls. Most of the girls are socially or economically disadvantaged students.
Other programs are usually general education-based and are not focused on increasing diversity within women who pursue those different STEM activities. Many of the girls have been “programmed” by their communities that they should not focus on technical fields like STEM because they are not suited for the roles. The camp focuses on STEM as well as helping the girls to work through their psychological barriers from past experiences.
The two elements to getting girls to realize that they can pursue a career in STEM are:
They need to see someone who looks like them and that is doing what that they want to do.
They need a champion mentor or sponsor who points directly at them and believe in them.
The GEMS Camp is important because many studies have shown that more diverse teams with more diverse perspectives are stronger than a team with a more monotone perspective. More information on this can be viewed in the SE3 2020 Survey Results – Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
The GEMS Camp started in 2010 with a small group of girls getting together in a library or college to get extra math or science classes. It has now evolved into a weeklong residence in a college dorm where they are taught all about STEM, careers in STEM, and how to work through the cultural and psychological blocks that have developed in them.
The GEMS Camp is for girls in the grade 7 to 9 range. Once they pass grade 9, they can go to a separate program called the STEM Pathways Institute. This program is for rising sophomores who are potentially going to college. There they are helped to prepare for resumes, interviews, college applications, essay writing, and all the things that they need to do to get to a semi professional level. There is also a Global STEM Travel program that was started in 2018, where the attendees are taken to different parts of the world to see famous engineering feats and learn about them in an applied science and math context.
GEMS is about bringing girls to the belief that they can succeed. At the beginning of the camp, the girls had an interest in STEM, but they did not have confidence or believe that there was a place for them in STEM. By the end of the week, they are beaming, excited, enthusiastic, and they believe that STEM is a place where they can belong.
Volunteering is important, especially for young engineers, because the young students find it easier to relate to them. You learn a lot about the different aspects of running and steering an organization. It gives you a different avenue to exercise decision-making ski...
