Not Just for Boys - Inspiring Girls to be the Next Generation of Engineers, Builders and Makers: AstraFemina joins the Moonshot to demonstrate that STEM is not just for boys
“You can’t be what you can’t see,” said American astronaut Sally Ride, the first American woman to fly in space.
This is perhaps why women continue to be vastly underrepresented in STEM fields, especially in engineering and computer science, the largest sectors of the STEM economy. While women make up almost half the U.S. workforce, they account for only 25% of computer scientists and 15% of engineers.
Role models and mentors are a critical part of increasing the number of women moving into STEM fields. Like Sally Ride said and the research shows, girls need to see themselves in STEM professions in order to dream about it for their own future.
United in the mission to inspire more girls to pursue science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) opportunities, STEM Next Opportunity Fund and AstraFemina unite under the Million Girls Moonshot initiative to bring more STEM role models to girls.
This work launched in June at the Million Girls Moonshot inaugural celebration Girls Build Solutions with the appearance of Wendy Lawrence, a former United States Navy Captain, engineer, helicopter pilot and NASA astronaut.
Lawrence joined the Moonshot’s Flight Crew - a group of young STEM advocates from across the country - for dinner at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago to share her STEM journey.
Wendy Lawrence, former United States Navy Captain, engineer, helicopter pilot and NASA astronaut speaks to the Million Girls Moonshot Flight Crew.
Lawrence is one of many prominent women leaders that comprise AstraFemina’s collective of astronauts, academic professionals, and industry innovators, who have broken barriers in many male-dominated STEM industries. These remarkable leaders convene with girls across various venues to share their stories of space exploration, invention and other professional journeys to affirm for their audiences that STEM isn’t just a “boy thing.”
The inaugural Flight Crew listens to Wendy Lawrence’s inspiring STEM journey.
“AstraFemina works with partners to reach 10,000 girls each year and we believe STEM Next and the Moonshot are the right partners to help us tap into the afterschool and summer learning space,” said AstraFemina’s President of the Board, Dr. Sandra Magnus. “We value the Moonshot’s reach across all 50 states and strong partnerships with nonprofit and educational organizations. This relationship will unlock the power of both of our organizations to reach many more girls.”
The Million Girls Moonshot convenes a collective of innovative partners that work together, in all 50 states, to build a world where young girls have access to learning opportunities beyond the classroom. Such opportunities motivate the girls and inspire genuine and sustained interest in STEM. Through partnership, organizations are able to leverage one another’s strengths and collaborate to raise awareness, build capacity and create the necessary pathways for more girls to become future problem-solvers and pursue STEM careers.
“AstraFemina’s collective is a powerhouse of STEM leaders. These women have literally paved the way for so many of the girls we seek to inspire,” says STEM Next Deputy Director Teresa Drew, who leads the Million Girls Moonshot initiative. “AstraFemina’s role model engagements allow girls to see themselves as future engineers, makers, scientists and more. This partnership strengthens our impact and amplifies our common vision to reimagine the future of STEM.”
Working together, AstraFemina and the Moonshot will continue to introduce exemplary women in STEM to ignite the imagination of girls across the nation to what is possible for them, thus bridging the gap between believing and achieving.
