Finding Inspiration in STEAM Role Models
Finding Inspiration in STEAM Role Models
Every girl needs a few positive role models — and Agnes Irwin teachers are ensuring that students know some influential figures in STEAM fields that might fit that bill.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, women comprised nearly half of the workforce in 2019, but only held 27% of all STEM jobs. Educators in our Lower School are addressing this underrepresentation with a focused curriculum that allows girls to explore their interests, and cultivate valuable science, technology, engineering, art, and math skills.
Some of this month’s STEAM events included:
- A 4th-grade research project that focused on African-American female scientists, such as mathematician Katherine Johnson and astronaut Jeannette Epps. Students dove into the lives of these pioneering women, and shared how each woman displayed key attributes of leadership found in the Agnes Irwin Leadership Toolkit. They also highlighted the tenacity of these women, who remained undaunted in the face of criticism and adversity and played key roles in advancing science and technology throughout history.
-
The 3rd Annual Lower School STEAM Showcase, featuring current parents, alumnae, and faculty. Speakers shared their science- and art-related professions and virtually walked students through their work spaces, what their job entails, and how they use a variety of interdisciplinary skills in their daily lives. Among these role models were women were individuals in dentistry, hospice and palliative medicine, pharmaceutical engineering, interior design, internal medicine, a Pilates instructor and business owner, a current Duke University student studying electrical and computer engineering, and more.
-
The 3rd Annual Lower School STEAM Showcase, featuring current parents, alumnae, and faculty. Speakers shared their science- and art-related professions and virtually walked students through their work spaces, what their job entails, and how they use a variety of interdisciplinary skills in their daily lives. Among these role models were women were individuals in dentistry, hospice and palliative medicine, pharmaceutical engineering, interior design, internal medicine, a Pilates instructor and business owner, a current Duke University student studying electrical and computer engineering, and more.
Learn more about how innovation at AIS and our hands-on, design-thinking curriculum prepare girls to become STEAM leaders — now and in years to come.