Making A Solid Investment: Women in STEM

Mediaplanet: What made you decide to major in a technology related field?

Kali Nordquist: In high school I fell in love with Chemistry. I wanted to problem solve, but I realized that I didn’t want to be stuck in a lab. My AP Chemistry teacher was a big influence—she suggested I look into chemical engineering. At my high school in Cape Coral, Florida, we actually had a program that allowed us to explore a variety of career fields, so I had the opportunity to investigate further. Chemistry and chemical engineering are so different. Chemists work on a molecular scale, but chemical engineering brings those molecular-level tasks to this huge industrial size—that appealed to me.

MP: Who were some of your role models in the industry and why?

KN: I never had any engineering role models, per se. I got into engineering to be a problem solver and to really push myself, but I was charting my own course. That’s why outreach and mentoring are important to me. As president of our student chapter of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), I have the opportunity to impact the next generation. One of my biggest sources of pride when it comes to being a woman engineer is that I can be the role model I never had. It’s been a really awesome opportunity for me. I pour a lot of time into SWE to influence those younger girls, and break down the stereotypes they may have of what a girl can be.

MP: How do you think we can encourage more girls to stay interested in STEM so they are choosing to major in computer science, tech entrepreneurship or coding?

KN: Mentoring has been such a rewarding experience for me, and I would encourage other women engineers to get involved in a mentoring program. Our SWE chapter has done a lot of outreach with the local Girl Scouts. Watching those young girls be completely entranced by hands-on STEM activities, then come up after the event and give me a hug and tell me how excited they are about science and engineering is the best experience.

So, take a personal interest in the next generation of female engineers—especially in middle school. Encourage them to focus not on STEM classes, but on all of the cool things they can do. Your time is valuable, but when you invest it in these girls you’re giving them an invaluable experience.

Mediaplanet: What made you decide to major in a technology related field?

Shelley Simpson-McKay: I could see North American Exhibitors’ genuine desire to reduce waste, and purchase green exhibit products that reduce costs and the use of electricity. However our product development had only just started to address the opportunity. I was a businesswoman who knew I had to partner with technologists to further develop our smart products and I wanted to deepen my understanding of a commercialization roadmap for my company. The Master of Technology Entrepreneurship and Innovation program at the Sobey School of Business was a perfect match for my multi-disciplinary interests and desire for promoting both my company's and personal growth, and so the decision was made.

My thoughts were that specializing within an MTEI degree would help me to innovate better through the use of design thinking and lean entrepreneurship methodologies, more successfully raise capital, fine-tune a marketing and sales strategy, search out and use other technologies for improving my firm's productivity, partner better with technologists and make more connections in a collaborative, supportive environment.

MP: Who were some of your role models in the industry and why?

SSM: Certainly you can’t be involved in lithium ion technology without Elon Musk being a role model. My women role models in technology and leadership would be women like Facebook COO and author of “Lean In,” Sheryl Sandberg. Also within the university and MTEI program itself, women like Dr. Jutla, the program’s director.

I’ve always been unconventional or some might say a “geek” not really fitting the traditional role for women. I love the challenge of building a business or developing innovation using new technology. I‘ve been fortunate over the course of my career to meet and work with many phenomenal women entrepreneurs I truly admire. It’s great to see more and more young women looking at technology entrepreneurship as an opportunity.

MP: How do you think we can encourage more girls to stay interested in STEM so they are choosing to major in computer science, tech entrepreneurship or coding?

SSM: We can continually demonstrate to girls that it’s better to be who you are and do what you love, even if it is unconventional. Technology is evolving into every aspect of our lives and by challenging them to find ways to integrate technology into what they are interested in. Some of the largest women-owned technology businesses I have seen in our region were started by women in other fields who integrated technology into what it is they do. Now they compete on a global stage.

We can role model the super multi-disciplinary career paths that emerge from marrying technology and entrepreneurship! Promote women like myself are behind fun inventions. If girls see these aspects of tech entrepreneurship, and more women like myself, continue to provide role models and business development and mentoring support for female entrepreneurs, I think we have the ingredients for the successful recruitment of women to STEM or entrepreneurship disciplines. I can't think of many more rewarding things to do.

Mediaplanet: What made you decide to major in a technology related field?

Aishwarya Borkar: I was inspired by my father and my sister, who are both software engineers themselves. It’s a family legacy that I’m proud to uphold. I remember being fascinated by the strange symbols and characters on my father’s laptop screen, and constantly questioning what they meant. After I took AP Computer Science in high school, there was no looking back. Finishing every homework assignment was akin to solving a fun puzzle.

MP: Who were some of your role models in the industry and why?

AB: Some of my role models include Megan Smith and Lyndsey Scott. Both women are eliminating stereotypes in their unique ways. I was fortunate enough to hear Ms. Smith’s encouraging words on the future of STEM education at the Grace Hopper Celebration in 2014. Furthermore, Lyndsey Scott proves that being a model and a programmer aren’t mutually exclusive. It’s so inspiring to see that girls don’t have to sacrifice their feminine side when pursuing computer science.

Mediaplanet: What made you decide to major in a technology related field?

Margaret Thomann: I attended a month-long women’s technology program the summer before my senior year of high school. Along with 40 other high school girls, I took classes in electrical engineering, discrete math and computer science. I fell in love with the logic behind computer science and the potential it holds with design. Without this program, I wouldn’t have had any exposure to computer science before college, and I’m very grateful for that experience because it showed me I enjoy programming.

MP: Who were some of your role models in the industry and why?

MT: I definitely look up to Reshma Saujani, the founder of Girls Who Code. She’s not technically in the industry, but every summer she inspires thousands of girls to pursue computer science through summer immersion programs. I think that’s powerful.

MP: How do you think we can encourage more girls to stay interested in STEM so they are choosing to major in computer science, tech entrepreneurship or coding?

MT: We need to get more girls truly excited about it! The women already involved in STEM need to actively express their excitement to motivate more girls to become interested. I assisted for a summer immersion program this past year and learned that simple, but genuine, enthusiasm for science and technology can go a long way.

Mediaplanet: What made you decide to major in a technology related field?

Vanessa Shalky: I decided to work in software development because I wanted to make tools for teachers that would make teaching more manageable. I was a high school teacher for three years, and I realized that a classroom teacher’s job is really enough work for five people. Designing web applications in the right way might improve public education at a much lower cost than hiring more staff. There are plenty of educational apps out there, but I think we are still a long way from productively integrating tech in the classroom.

MP: Who were some of your role models in the industry and why?

VS: I really admire the creators of Schoology (Friedman, Hwang, Trinidad and Kindler). Their app is a classroom management website that works similar to social media sites like Facebook. I think they made a product that is both easy enough for students to use and powerful enough for teachers to organize their classrooms and track their students’ achievements.

MP: How do you think we can encourage more girls to stay interested in STEM so they are choosing to major in computer science, tech entrepreneurship or coding?

VS: Changing our public school curriculum to require more STEM courses could introduce girls to tech concepts early on, attracting more women to the industry.  When I was working as a teacher, most of our STEM courses, other than mathematics, were electives. The problem with making a computer science or engineering class an elective is the possibility of an uneven ratio of boys to girls. As soon as a class gets labeled as a “boys” class, most of the girls are too intimidated to sign up.

Mediaplanet: What made you decide to major in a technology related field?

Bella (Linh) Do: I constantly use my mind to analyze things. I enjoy being critical and finding the reasons why things around me are the way they are. I love math and sciences. Most importantly, when I was little, I was hypnotized by many colorful chemical reactions that my father, a chemical engineer, carried out in his lab. I’m still amazed at Dad’s medicine creations—out of ordinary herbs! His work and my curiosity inspired me to major in STEM.

MP: Who were some of your role models in the industry and why?

BD: My mother is my role model: a medical doctor, a researcher and a professor at Hanoi Medical University, the most reputable university in Vietnam. Although she is not an engineer, her hard work and her achievement are what I look up to and desire to follow. She constantly engages herself and her students in medical research. She balances her life well, managing to raise her two kids while obtaining graduate degrees.

MP: How do you think we can encourage more girls to stay interested in STEM so they are choosing to major in computer science, tech entrepreneurship or coding?

BD: Women have the potential to embrace the field. Outreach programs, such as WoW! That’s Engineering, a daylong program with engineering workshops organized by the Society of Women Engineering (SWE), makes a great impact. Last year we attracted about 150 high-school female students. As its treasurer, I wish to spark more girls’ interest in STEM this year.