YERC's Women in STEM
For a great deal of human history, women have been barred from accessing the same kinds of opportunities and respect that our male counterparts have had by historical implication. Though we continue to make leaps and bounds in the presence and celebration of women in the workplace, the difficulties women face to participate in these fields remains an issue in many of our fields of work. Particularly in the STEM fields, women are a minority - making up about 28% of the workforce in Science, Engineering, Technology and Mathematics (https://www.aauw.org/resources/research/the-stem-gap/). YERC is excited to be working with many young, aspiring women in STEM, whose interests span from electric cars to stewardship inspiring art. We talked to each of them in detail about their experiences as a woman in a male dominated field and their place in the future of their field. Since our inception 30 years ago, we have mentored over 500 undergraduate or recently graduated students in our education programs which seeks to bridge the gap between institutionalized learning and real-world experience. Our interns have experienced a high rate - around 80% - of success in obtaining a career job or graduate studies.
Karlee is a third year student at MSU majoring in Wildlife Ecology and Management with a minor in Rangeland Ecology. She is working with YERC to obtain vegetation field data from drone imagery to produce AI classification of habitat types in Park County. After graduating, Karlee plans to explore job possibilities in her field before likely pursuing a masters degree.
Grace is an undergraduate student at MSU studying Biological Sciences with a focus in Conservation Biology and Ecology. She is generating graphics with RStudio (a coding platform) and managing long-term datasets for YERC’s work on large mammals. She is passionate about cetacean (marine mammal) preservation, and will pursue her passion for new job experiences and expanding her knowledge of ecological processes upon graduation.
Kai is an electrical engineering student who is set to graduate this spring after only three years at MSU. With YERC, she is part of a team of students working on a capstone project nicknamed DIABLO. Kai got into robotics in high school when one of her friends who shared the same bus stop convinced her to try it out. She hopes to work on developing electric car technologies after graduation.
Devin got her bachelor’s in Biology from the College of William and Mary in 2021, and has been accumulating experience in the conservation field ever since. She is working as a part of YERC’s communications team to write blog posts and assemble newsletters. She worked as a pika field technician in Grand Teton National Park last summer, and is excited to continue to explore the field and unearth new experiences before applying to graduate school.
Ella is an undergraduate at MSU studying Marketing. She is on YERC’s communication team, primarily focusing on social media and digital marketing for our programs. She is an artist whose work draws on the wonder of the natural world and hopes to inspire appreciation and stewardship of our local ecosystem. She is keeping a keen eye on an interdisciplinary mix of opportunities to craft her career path.
Paige is an MSU graduate and avid birder who has called Bozeman her home for the last 10 years. She is working with YERC this summer (2023) to assess riparian health through songbird identification in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
Though many of us were able to name another significant event sometime around high school that inspired our current career trajectory, the seeds of our futures were planted early. The conditions that we experience as young individuals often shape who we become in adulthood; Kai learned multiplication in kindergarten and was encouraged to pursue her math skills by her parents (though, notably, was not challenged at her school), Karlee grew up in the outdoors hunting and fishing on a small ranch, Grace grew up on an island in the Pacific Northwest where she was surrounded by killer whale populations, Devin grew up camping in the high Sierras every summer, and Ella grew up in the small mountain towns of Washington where her mentors emphasized environmentalism. Increasing the access to experiences and opportunities for young girls is instrumental in their inclusion in diverse career paths when they reach adulthood.
At YERC, we build on those significant life events and continue to guide young adults to follow their passions while honing their skills and abilities in preparation for successful careers in a time of uncertainty. We have built a vast network of successful students and interns over the past three decades. It’s that network of connection and communication that provides even greater possibilities for placement along their career paths forward.
By their very nature, women bring a long-overdue, balanced perspective to the table, particularly that of creativity and compassion. Women are planners, and think analytically and creatively come up with collaborative solutions that maximize their efforts. While these are generalizations to be sure, the value that womens’ unique perspectives, organization and creativity bring to the STEM workplace is undeniable.
When asked how they think more women and girls can be included in the STEM fields, our YERC women suggested:
“More exposure to adult women in the field” -Kai
“Availability - the norm is men-driven career-tracks so women don’t even think it’s an option” -Karlee
“Generate environments that allow women (especially young, and/or beginning of career) to feel valued and heard” -Devin
“Uplifting the voices of other women when they feel the need to doubt their own intelligence, purely because they lack others to advocate for them” -Grace
“Promote collaborative and open environments” -Ella
“Start at the bottom, and make an effort to take women seriously in academics. Encourage young girls to play in the dirt and experiment” - Paige
To all future women in STEM:
Don’t give up if it’s your passion. Even if you have weaknesses, you can learn to conquer them if you have the drive to do it. Live in the moment more, stop to smell the roses, and stay aware of future opportunities.
Explore! As much as you can. Be a career “yes” woman - even if something is only partially related to what you want to do, explore thoset possibilities and grow new skills and abilities. You never know who you’re going to meet at that conference, or who that contact might know, or which opportunities are going to be a great fit until you do them!
If I could share some advice to the future women in STEM I would tell them that they should worry less about the opinions and words of others and should shout out their ideas loud and proud. Learning to not let the approval of others define your own worth is hard but the more you can make the conscious effort to direct your thoughts and energy, the easier it will be to be your own best advocate and further advocate for others who could use the support.
Sincerely,
The YERC Women