1st Edition
Empowering Women in STEM Working Together to Inspire the Future
Throughout the globe, STEM careers exist. However, in some countries, particular STEM careers have been male-dominated while in other countries no gender biases exist as it relates to STEM careers. One common trend which occurs throughout the world is that women who are working in these STEM related fields typically leave after about five years. Contrarily, it has also been uncovered that more women stay in these fields when we all work together.
Empowering Women in STEM: Working Together to Inspire the Future provides a platform to share the stories of those who have been in STEM careers but have pivoted to other areas by utilizing the STEM skills they learned. It bridges the gap between those who are thinking about entering or leaving STEM careers, along with those who want to encourage others into STEM careers. This book showcases how everyone’s journey is different, some may have unexpected twists and turns while others appear to conform to the "normal" rules outlined by society. By offering a front-row seat on a journey that takes many different paths, this book provides advice that can lead to a STEM career with or without having a STEM background. The different roads taken are highlighted to show how everyone’s path is unique and how that is okay.
With the upcoming generation constantly looking for ways to "fit in" or be able to identify with role models to help them chart their way forward, this book ensures that they have not just one, but a variety of role models and success stories to relate to. It also offers some key advice which can be applied to any field they choose. In addition to having women and men from across the globe share their stories about various fields, this book also is written for professionals who may be considering a switch of career or deciding to leave STEM, and for university students who are trying to figure out their career choices and paths to take to gain more insight into possible new career goals in STEM.
About the Editor
Contributors
Foreword: Katie Mehnert
Preface – Women in STEM
Overview
Acknowledgements
SECTION I. Inspiring the Future
1. Space for Women: Defining Career Lessons
Shelli Brunswick
2. Be the Change You Want to See
Alex Knight
3. I #DERRtobedifferent, I Dare to Be Me
Ludmilla Derr
4. Paving the Way Forward for Other Female Arab Engineers
Eman Martin-Vignerte
5. Fueling the Future of Women in Industry
Stephanie Hajducek
6. Building the Next Generation of STEM Heroes
Marcella Ceva
SECTION II. Non-Traditional Paths
7. STEM with Mr N: STEM Communication, Awards, and the Power of STEM Advocates
Stuart Naismith
8. Increasing UPTIME: The Journey from Banking to Engineering
Jenny Ambler
9. Unexpected Paths, Endless Possibilities: A Journey of Integration between Literature and STEM
Corey Marie Hall
10. Maneuvering the Moving Sidewalk of Your Career
Susan Lubell
11. Exploring Innovation, STEM, and Entrepreneurship: A Journey of Learning and Growth
Viktoria Ilger
12. Safety Boots to Break Glass Ceilings™
Emily Soloby
13. Intersectionality: How to Transform Headwinds to Tailwinds
Erika Anderson [in Remembrance]
14. The Journey to Becoming the First Wellness Engineer
Lennis Perez
15. Dr. Kenya’s Nonlinear Journey: The Intersection of Science, Education, and Policy
Kenya L. Goodson
SECTION III. Leading the Way
16. Women Redefining Work-Life Balance in STEM: Integrating Parenthood into the Equation
Sarah Marie Bilger
17. Female AND an Engineer? Exploring the Gender-Occupation Identity Dilemma in Engineering
Helen Sara Johnson
18. Allow Them to Answer the Call
Shane Woods
19. Through It All, the Why Was My Motivator
Claudia Gomez-Villeneuve
20. A Woman in a Man’s World or a Person in a Person’s World?
Angelica González
21. The Complex Reality: Unraveling the Underrepresentation of Women in STEM
Genevieve Cheung
22. Why Is Empowering Women in STEM So Important?
Joel Leonard
Index
Biography
Sanya Mathura is the Founder of Strategic Reliability Solutions Ltd based in Trinidad & Tobago. She works with global affiliates in the areas of Reliability and Asset Management to bring these specialty niches to her clients. She has a BSc in Electrical & Computer Engineering and an MSc in Engineering Asset Management. Sanya has worked in the machinery lubrication industry for the past decade and assists various industries with machinery lubrication-related issues. Sanya is the first person (and first female) in her country and the Caribbean to attain an ICML MLE (International Council for Machinery Lubrication, Machinery Lubrication Engineer) certification as well as the first female in the world to achieve the ICML VPR & VIM (Varnish and Deposits Prevention & Removal, Varnish and Deposits Measurement & Identification) badges. She can always be found supporting and advocating for women in STEM.
