Originally Posted: Sept. 9, 2019
SMU alumna Myria Perez was selected as one of 125 women innovators across the country to be AAAS IF/THEN ambassadors. Their mission? To share their stories and serve as high-profile role models for girls.
The percentages don’t lie, and for women, the percentages aren’t good.
Only 37 percent of science, technology, engineering and math professionals portrayed in television and film are women. More than a few experts see a connection between such a low figure and whether young girls will choose to pursue STEM as a career.
It is time, they say, to join forces in search of a new wave of STEM superstars. And pop culture — including television and film — is one of the ways to do it.
Where is the modern version of Marie Curie, who pioneered research in radioactivity? Where is the modern version of Elizabeth Blackwell, who was the first woman to graduate from medical school in the U.S.? Why not use pop culture and modern technology to try to find the next Curie or Blackwell?
Two organizations hoping to effect such change are doing exactly that. READ MORE