Shattering the Glass Ceiling: Empowering a Diverse
The specific problem we aim to address is the persistent gender inequity in STEM education and careers within the US. Despite comparable early academic achievement, girls are twice as likely as boys to lose interest in science and engineering-related jobs by middle school. By the time they reach college, men are five times more likely to choose a STEM career path.
According to the National Girls Collaborative Project (2021), women comprise only 28% of the workforce in science and engineering. This disparity is even more pronounced when we consider intersectionality; women of color, LGBTQ+ women, and women with disabilities face compounding biases and barriers.
Our solution targets key factors contributing to this problem: lack of female representation and engagement in STEM during K-12 education, financial barriers to pursuing STEM in higher education, biased company cultures, and lack of support for women STEMpreneurs.
By directly addressing these factors, we aim to help bridge the gender gap in STEM, contributing to a more diverse and innovative field that benefits society.
Our solution comprises six targeted initiatives:
Intersectional STEM Girls Club - This initiative provides regular hands-on STEM activities to girls from diverse backgrounds. It fosters interest in STEM early in life.
STEM Inclusivity Webinars for Teachers - These online seminars train teachers in gender-inclusive teaching strategies, helping to cultivate an engaging learning environment in STEM subjects.
Intersectional Micro Scholarships for Women in STEM - This program provides financial incentives to high-achieving high school girls from underrepresented groups to continue STEM studies at a higher level.
Diversity & Inclusion Toolkit for STEM Companies - This online resource aids companies in fostering gender-inclusive and diverse workplaces, improving employee retention and progression.
Inclusive Pitch Event for Women STEMpreneurs - This virtual event provides networking and potential funding opportunities for women entrepreneurs in STEM.
VR for STEM Program - This program uses virtual reality technology to offer immersive and engaging STEM learning experiences. It includes diverse women role models and ensures accessibility for students with different abilities.
Each of these initiatives leverages technology where appropriate, such as creating virtual reality content and delivering webinars to effectively reach and impact its intended audience.
Our solution will serve girls and women interested in or pursuing STEM education or careers in the United States. This includes K-12 students, college students, educators, STEM professionals, and women entrepreneurs in STEM. However, since we are located in the Washington, D.C., area, we propose working in the DMV area for greater impact.
Since we would focus on the DMV area, our target population is diverse and intersectional, including individuals from different racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds, sexual orientations, gender identities, and abilities. Our initiatives aim to improve their lives by removing barriers to entry and success in STEM fields and creating an inclusive and supportive STEM environment.
We will actively engage with our target audience through focus groups, surveys, and direct communication to understand their needs. We will partner with schools, universities, and community organizations and involve women from diverse backgrounds in the planning and execution of our initiatives. This is really important.
The impact of our solution is multi-faceted:
- The Intersectional STEM Girls Club and VR for STEM program aim to nurture early interest in STEM in fun, engaging, and accessible manner.
- The Inclusivity Webinars for Teachers provides educators with the tools to better support and inspire girls in STEM subjects.
- The Intersectional Micro Scholarships directly address financial barriers to pursuing STEM education at a higher level.
- The Diversity & Inclusion Toolkit aids companies in creating more inclusive work environments, facilitating career progression for women in STEM.
- The Inclusive Pitch Event opens networking and funding opportunities for women entrepreneurs in STEM, giving them the support they need to succeed.
We bring together a diverse range of individuals who share a deep-rooted passion for education and equality in STEM fields. We come from different backgrounds in gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and sexual orientation, closely mirroring the communities we aim to serve.
As the team lead, I bring a wealth of knowledge and personal experience to this project. I understand the unique challenges faced by girls and women, particularly those from underrepresented communities, in pursuing and succeeding in STEM careers. Felipe Benitez, the founder of Corazón Latino, has decades of work in engaging underrepresented communities. Even the White House has recognized his work.
The communities we serve are the best source of information for their needs. As such, we have been actively engaging with them through our events nationwide and our community work right here in the nation's Capital. We have community organizations like Five Medicine and have involved women from diverse backgrounds in the planning and execution of our initiatives.
What Felipe and I propose is designed to be adaptive and responsive to community feedback. Each of our initiatives includes evaluation components, and we plan to use the data collected to continuously improve and tailor our programs to meet better the needs of the communities we serve.
Our team's diversity, personal experience with the issues, and commitment to community engagement position us well to deliver these solutions and make a meaningful difference in the lives of girls and women in STEM.
- Ensure continuity across STEM education in order to decrease successive drop-off in completion rates from K-12 through undergraduate years.
- Prototype: A venture or organization building and testing its product, service, or business model, but which is not yet serving anyone
Our solution is currently at the prototype stage, as some components have already been tested and validated through our past experiences and initiatives. For instance, our work with the Conrad Challenge and Corazon Latino has laid a strong foundation for our current efforts.
Stacy is deeply involved in the Conrad Challenge as the Co-Chair of the Advisory Board. This innovation challenge encourages young minds to become entrepreneurs and apply innovation, science, and technology to solve global problems. This initiative has demonstrated the power of hands-on activities and mentorship in sparking interest in STEM among girls. The learnings from this work directly inform the design and implementation of our Intersectional STEM Girls Club.
Felipe Benitez has extensive experience with Corazon Latino, a non-profit that engages underrepresented communities in various environmental and health issues. The organization has used innovative engagement strategies incorporating technology and cultural elements. The techniques learned from Corazon Latino’s successful outreach and community work have inspired our approach to community engagement, particularly in designing the Inclusive Pitch Event for Women STEMpreneurs.
Over the past 15 months, we have created VR content for the USDA Forest Service on invasive species and the joint NASA| USAID MoonTrees program. We are in pre-production for a new VR video about pollinators. And we are in post-production for a series of films for the Forest Service's Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion initiative.
We're now keen to test further and develop these initiatives, making them more robust and effective in addressing gender inequity in STEM.
We are applying to the Gender Equity in STEM Challenge to leverage the resources, mentorship, and network that the Solve and Tiger Global Impact Ventures offer.
Our focus is on securing financial support and utilizing these resources to bring our vision to life.
While we offer six different ideas, our main initiative is built around the transformative potential of VR technology in education. We see VR as a powerful tool to inspire and engage girls and women in STEM. It can transport learners to different environments, showcase diverse role models, and make learning interactive and immersive. This tech-driven approach embodies our belief in leveraging emerging technology to uplift humanity and promote equality.
The funding would help us refine our VR for STEM initiative and extend its reach.
The technical expertise offered through this Challenge is also crucial to our success. With our project involving innovative technology, the guidance provided by Solve and Tiger Global Impact Ventures will be super important in navigating implementation complexities and scaling effectively.
We also anticipate benefiting from the Challenge's legal and regulatory insights, cultural exposure, learning modules, and peer-to-peer networks. These resources will aid us in legal logistics, refining our culturally appropriate and linguistically relevant approach, enhancing our business model, and fostering a sense of community.
In essence, we see this Challenge as an opportunity to accelerate our project and catalyze a broader shift toward gender equity in STEM through the power of VR.
Our Team Lead, Stacy Whittle, has a long history of working with diverse communities both within the United States and internationally. Her prior roles and achievements span various sectors, making her the ideal leader for a project that seeks to bridge the gaps in gender equity in STEM.
Stacy's connection to the communities we serve stems from her rich professional background. As a Senior Technology Advisor at Corazon Latino Inc., she has been instrumental in designing and implementing culturally relevant campaigns and youth engagement initiatives. These have focused on empowering diverse communities and inspiring the next generation of leaders in environmental and conservation sectors.
Her role as a co-founder of Block of Love, LLC and Teatro del Corazón | Heart Theatre has also provided her extensive experience in leveraging emerging technologies like blockchain and AI and cultivating inclusive environments that resonate with global audiences.
Her work with Five Medicine, the USDA Forest Service, and the joint NASA | USAID SERVIR program have deepened her understanding of the interconnectedness of global communities, environmental concerns, and the role of technology in addressing these issues.
Her involvement with the Conrad Challenge as a member of the Advisory Board further underscores her commitment to promoting innovation and advancing STEM education. Stacy's broad experience and passion for utilizing technology to uplift communities make her uniquely positioned to lead this project.
Stacy is not only a leader but also a volunteer and advocate. She has demonstrated her commitment to serving the community through volunteering at Five Medicine, DC Central Kitchen, and Corazón Latino. This work underlines her commitment to grassroots-level engagement and community service.
Thus, Stacy Whittle is an asset to this project with a track record of commitment to community engagement, technological innovation, and international cooperation. Her deep connections to the communities we aim to serve, and her understanding of their needs make her the ideal Team Lead for our initiative.
Founder