Women in STEM is a new group catering to women majoring in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics right here at Susquehanna! We had the opportunity to talk with Dr. Margaret Peeler , Dr. Jennifer Asmuth, and Dr. Sarah Cassella, three of the amazing faculty members who have been involved in Women in STEM. If you are interested in Women in STEM, email Dr. Asmuth (asmuth@susqu.edu) to get involved!
Q: What inspired the establishment of women in STEM (WIS)?
Margaret Peeler: I don’t think there was any particular event. We’d been tossing around the idea for a number of years. I think it was Kathy Straub that finally put the group together. Some of the female STEM faculty reading and discussing Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg may have helped start it. We’ve also gotten great support from the center of Teaching and Learning.
Jennifer Asmuth:It grew out of a teaching circle of women, who taught in the various sciences, talking about classroom issues.
Sarah Cassella: We recognized that we have a number of women in the STEM program where there’s a number of issues that women face — these can be stereotype threat, ageism, etc. We thought that the best way to educate students about these issues would be to create this group.
Q: Why did you choose to get involved in WIS?
MP:I teach a lot of young women interested in STEM fields. We don’t always think about how to prepare students for STEM fields outside of academia. Susquehanna can sort of be a bubble. They see a lot of female scientists and professors. I think we’re modeling something that is really positive, but not necessarily representative of the outside world. It’s sort of a heads up.
JA: Being Part of the teaching circle, enjoying the topics of discussion and thinking it would be very beneficial to the students.
SC: I’m generally very passionate about it. I wanted the students here to be prepared for careers in STEM.
Q: What is the vision you and the other faculty members have for the future of WIS on Susquehanna’s campus?
MP: It really focuses on career development and how to make good decisions in your career when working in an environment with relatively few women.
JA: We’d like to have students hear from other students who have done fellowships or research—hear how they navigated that and what they got out of it. Students may not feel comfortable asking faculty members these types of questions. Receiving feedback and seeing what things work best are beneficial.
SC: We envision a group that women look forward to being a part of because they are taking small steps to prepare for the career that they are going into. We hope to create a sense of community where students can build each other up and help each other out. A biology major can talk to a Chemistry major about an issue they’ve both had.
Q: What sorts of activities does WIS include and how do they serve the overall purpose of the group?
MP: Most of what we do is some type of gathering around a topic of discussion and have panelists answer questions. We recently went to see Hidden Figures.
SC: Social events are the general thing we do. We come together to talk about careers and bring in people who can educate them. There’s a lot of power in knowing what’s happening and knowing what steps to take.
Q: How do you think Implicit bias affects women pursuing STEM careers ?
MP: At a place like Susquehanna they do see professors and other women doing these things. I think that’s really impactful. I think when you see someone who looks like you it can be inspiring. Until we have enough role models in the world, we will always have that image of a scientist as Bill Nye.
JA: It affects women in a couple different ways. As women, we may make attributions that line up with these biases, even if we don’t consciously believe these things. It affects both the way that we behave and the way others treat us.
SC: It’s buried so deep, so we don’t even realize how it affects us. It’s sad. Knowledge is power. Just being aware of these things is going to change the way you behave, hopefully for the better.
Q: Although women graduate college at a higher rate than men, women, particularly women of color, are still underrepresented in STEM fields. Some people argue that this disparity is just due to a difference in interests. Why is it important for women to have equal representation in these fields?
MP: There’s a lot of evidence that whenever you have a complex problem, diversity of thinking helps to solve the problem. People who approach it in different ways, tend to come to the right solution. It’s not just a social justice thing , it’s in the national interest. In critical thinking you’re bringing your personal experiences that are different from the rest of the group. Also, Stem careers are often more lucrative than other careers.
JA: I don’t believe it all boils down to a difference in interests. Something that plays a role is some of the challenges that women face.
SC: It is simply diversity of thought. If you have a bunch of students from one major thinking about a problem, they’re probably all thinking about it one way. A group of students in a different major will think about it in a different way. In STEM you often have men thinking in the same way. Introducing diversity of people is going to bring in a diversity of thinking. If we have people thinking in different ways, we’ll probably come up with a better solution.
Q: What are the most important things in closing this gap?
MP: I think if it were simply a numbers thing, it would have already shifted. You don’t see the same persistence in graduate school as you see in undergraduate. Women are always using their STEM degrees in creative ways, but maybe not to become a Dean at Harvard. How much of it is systemic bias? Seeing and listening to other women who have done the harder part and succeeded is very important and powerful.
JA: Closing the gap involves choices that individuals have to make. The kinds of things that would close that gap are the kinds of things that would make us better as a society—valuing contributions outside of work, valuing family, and valuing community.
SC: Making sure we’re not excluding people from educational experiences, as well as having a work environment that is inclusive for everyone is how we’re going to close the gap.
Q:Why should women pursuing STEM education and careers care about the lack of women in STEM fields?
MP: There’s more of it[systemic bias] out there than they probably are aware of. It helps to just be prepared.
JA: I think some things to consider are social equity, gender equity, and social justice. People bring their experiences and those experiences inform the kinds of questions they ask and bring greater depth.
SC: So that when they come head on with bias or prejudice in some way, they understand the consequences of following suit. If we are trying to make the world a better place, we need to be fighters in closing the gap.
Q: How do you believe students can empower each other to overcome the barriers women often encounter when pursuing careers dominated by men?
MP:I think at Susquehanna we have a lot of pre-med students, but we’re not as focused on pre-med as other liberal arts colleges are so, students are more supportive. Science is competitive. Women have to be supportive and collaborative, but also willing to participate in the system. I do still believe in the value of a cohort and peer support.
JA: We should extend and build networks to help people better prepare for experiences. Everyone has to live their own experiences, but you don’t have to reinvent the wheel each time. Learning from others’ experiences can be helpful.
SC: . I think everyone knows the importance of having a group of people that you can get together with and talk about issues you’re experiencing. That is very empowering.
11. It can be argued that women have made many considerable advances in social and political arenas. For the first time in history, a woman was nominated for President by a major political party. Hillary Clinton would have occupied one of the most powerful roles in the entire world. STEM careers not only provide more independence to the individual , but often empower them to shape the landscape that we live in as a community. If a woman could be considered fit for President, why then,
do women still face so many problems when pursuing careers that give them more power in their own lives and human existence collectively?
MP:I think Hillary Clinton faced a lot of things as a result of being a woman that a man wouldn’t have. In colleges, for example, in order to achieve tenure, the time period that women are expected to be most productive overlaps with childbearing years. You have to think about those things. Any job that is more demanding is sometimes more attractive to men than women because of this. We sometimes have to ask if we don’t push hard enough on ourselves.
JA: I don’t know the answer to that. The pattern for this is certainly seen in other areas.
SC: Women face a lot of the same things that Hillary Clinton faced. Older people that were in their prime when a woman’s place was in the kitchen are still working and voting. Even though we saw an exceptional woman doing something exceptional, we saw the push back. That push back applies at every level.
Q: Do you think that WIS will have a lasting impact on the students that participate in it?
MP:I hope so, Subtly more than overtly. We hope to Send messages that are a little more cross cultural than, maybe, Bill Nye.
JA: I hope so. We hope that providing events and panels that have concrete goals or outcomes might lead to concrete and lasting change. It offers women knowledge on how to think about things like fellowships. Women may also meet people who share their interests that aren’t in their major or group of friends.
SC: I think so. I think they’re going to learn some things that they wouldn’t have learned otherwise.
Q: What advice do you have for women who are in or considering a STEM career?
MP:I think you have to be very self- aware, honest and accurate in your assessment of what your interests are. Make your own decisions. Ask questions about why am I choosing to be a kindergarten teacher. Have the boldness to follow what you want to do once you’ve identified what that is.
JA: I would encourage her to follow her interests, her passion. If she comes up against an impediment, a problem, or a challenge; to talk to people who have moved beyond that or are more experienced to try to evaluate the problem. Seek out faculty and mentors who are doing the kinds of things you’re interested in or have some rapport with.
SC: Make sure that what you think you want to do in STEM and what you really enjoy doing line up. Be educated on the issues.; education is power. When you are aware, you make better decisions.
.Do you have any other thoughts on this topic? JA: I’m excited and heartened by the response to a lot of these activities. It shows that the women here
see the need for these kinds of events and see the benefit for these things.
SC: Find people who you can talk to about issues . Every major should be doing this in order to be a well-rounded and prepared student