Post date: Feb 11, 2013 11:23:21 PM
Stemette (n): a female who has the capacity to go into one or more of the STEM fields
LONDON, /Press Release/ -The Stemettes - a collection of women and organisations from the UK's STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) sector - will launch at Google's Campus London in Old Street on Tuesday 12th February at 7pm. 100 women, along with male 'Stemette sympathisers' will meet for an interactive discussion to generate innovative solutions that inspire girls, and enjoy unlimited pancakes.
With the number of women in the UK's STEM workforce dropping 4% to 13% in 2012 and two-thirds of women graduating from STEM subjects deciding to not take up STEM roles, the Stemettes project's slogan of 'Girls do Science too' seems more hopeful than factual.Susan Greenfield CBE 'Baroness Stemette' member of the House of Lords, Neuroscientist and Professor of Pharmacology at Oxford University said: "I think Stemettes is a fabulous initiative. Girls need to be told that it's not just about putting on a white coat and being a dysfunctional nerd in the lab; it could be about media, politics, commerce, patenting or law. There are so many sectors in society that value someone with a science background."
Head Stemette Anne-Marie Imafidon plans to inspire a new generation of females into STEM careers by showcasing the excellent women already in the sector via a series of panel events, hackathons and exhibitions. "I've loved technology since I was 4 - typing up the story of Red Riding Hood, saving it and then coming back to it changed my life. This was my creation and my creativity being enabled by a computer."
Anne-Marie went on to pass GCSEs in Mathematics and ICT aged 10 and was the youngest girl ever to pass A-level Computing aged 11. She finished her Masters degree in Mathematics and Computer Science at Oxford University aged 20. Anne-Marie founded the Stemettes project to ensure that younger girls can explore their passions for STEM and envisage their future in a STEM career.
Their first panel, at the Charles Darwin House, home of the Biology Society and Biochemistry Society will take place on 7th March. It will feature women from across the sector talking candidly and networking with female students.
The Stemettes project believes that by allowing girls and their parents to meet and interact with women in STEM, some of the misconceptions, fears and stereotypes will fall away and allow a generation of girls to fully participate in STEM and have influence in the technology & science fuelled world of tomorrow.
It incorporates a network of 'Stemette Supporters' who are organisations working to increase the number of females in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics, or significant women in the field and grows by the day. Together they form a critical mass that will make the difference.
Find out more about the Stemettes at their website http://stemettes.co.uk, follow them on Twitter @stemettes, like them on Facebook or add them to your circles on Google+