Opening Remarks by Polly Seplowitz 6th Grade Science Teacher
Welcome to East Side’s 4th Annual Women in Science Night! I’d like to start with a little anecdote from my own STEM journey, a story that I think highlights why events like this are so very important.
When I arrived at Stuyvesant High School as a freshman, I was a bright-eyed nerd who’d always loved math and science. Naturally, I joined the math team right away. I had an hour and 15-minute long commute to school, but I’d wake up an hour early to make it to our morning math team ‘practice’. I remember walking into the packed math team room for the very first time that September...I remember this distinctly because: a) I was surprised at the number of students willing to skip sleep and breakfast to do math, and b) Because I was the only girl in the room.
After only a couple of weeks, I quit the math team. I just wasn’t as quick or clever as everyone else in the room, I thought. I felt like I didn’t belong, that I’d never be able to compete. I’m not sure if this was when I decided I wasn’t cut out for math or engineering or physics, if this is when my subconscious decided that my gender didn’t match up with my interests or talents, but it was definitely a defining moment in my STEM journey. I just didn’t enjoy feeling so out of place.
Sadly, statistics show that my experience is a common one. While women in the U.S. make up 47% of the workforce, and actually 48% of the biological and medical sciences, we occupy only 27% of STEM positions overall. Women make up only 13% of engineers, and 25% of computer and mathematical scientists. Why? Why is this our reality? Are we less capable of being engineers and mathematicians and physicists? Are our skills naturally inferior to boys’? Actually, research shows that in middle and high school, girls are now taking advanced science and math courses at similar rates as boys, and performing equally well - if not better - in these courses. So where do we lose our girls along the STEM pipeline? And why?
I think we need to look all around us for answers, and within ourselves. As teachers and parents, what messages about gender roles are we unconsciously sending our girls (and boys, for that matter)? What hobbies and interests are we subtly encouraging (or discouraging), even at very young ages? And girls - how are you impacted by the gender biases that seem to come from everywhere - school, friends, TV, the Internet? How do they shape your interests, your goals, your perceptions of your own skills and where you think you “belong”? How do these messages impact which studio class you sign up for, what extracurricular activities you participate in, what college major you pick? Ask yourself: how much are my choices impacted by gender biases and stereotypes?
As a teacher, I see brilliant girls (and boys) come through my science class each year, and I always hope so deeply that you girls stick with science, that you don’t find yourselves in situations where being outnumbered by males shakes your confidence, makes you question your goals and your interests, makes you feel like you don’t belong.
So take a close look at these women on the stage beside me. This group of women is currently paving the way for YOU. They come from diverse cultures and backgrounds, represent a wide array of scientific professions, and they each have their own unique story to tell. But they have at least one thing in common: though likely outnumbered by men at various points in their STEM journey, though confronted with gender stereotypes, though they might have doubted themselves, questioned their choices, struggled, they all persevered, and let their passion for science win...We hope you’re all here because you love science. And we hope being here inspires you to stick with it. Let these women be your mentors, your inspiration. Ask them about their journeys, and what allowed them to persevere.
And if and when you find that you’re the only girl in the room - the lab, the lecture hall, the research field - think of these women, and remember that you DO belong.
I’d now like to take a moment to thank Joe, our assistant principal, and all of your science teachers, for making tonight possible. And thank you to our wonderful panelists, for taking time out of your lives to inspire our students. Each guest will now take a moment to briefly introduce themselves - their name, field of study, and where they currently work - and then you’ll all get to learn more about individual guests in our breakout sessions.