The showcase was held at Greenwood Laboratory School on Monday, introducing students to STEM – science, technology, engineering and math fields. Greenwood classes took turns rotating groups of students to different interactive stations run by volunteers from Women in STEM, a club at Missouri State University. The students explored things like density and cell diagrams and made marshmallow towers and raced hex bugs.
Lucy Shrimpton is a sixth grader at Greenwood. She said she thinks STEM is cool to explore.
“STEM is really fun because you just get to explore all these different areas in science,” she said. “They just make it so fun.”
Shrimpton wants to be a zoologist when she gets older. She said she loves animals, adding that she has five pet birds and one dog. She said she really likes seeing how living things work.
“I think it's really cool how some animals work, and like how they can be different even from their own species,” she said.
Shrimpton said her favorite part of the Women in STEM showcase was the hex bug races because she thinks it's cool how things can move just from vibration. As a girl who’s interested in going into a STEM field when she’s older, Shrimpton said she’s happy to see women being empowered to have a place in these fields.
“I think it's good that we have more people in the field, especially more girls now,” she said.
UNESCO Institute of Statistics’ 2024 Global Education Monitoring report found that on average only 35% of STEM graduates from select countries are female. It also shows that women held less than 25% of science, engineering and ICT jobs in 2022, while the 2018 Teaching and Learning International Survey results showed that 31% of lower secondary school male teachers teach STEM subjects compared to 25% of female teachers, according to UNESCO Institute of Statistics.
The showcase was hosted by Women in STEM, which supports and empowers women in STEM roles. While the event was open to all students, Women in STEM President Sydney Schneickert said that it's important for women to have a sense of community as a minority group within STEM.
“I hope they view everyone volunteering as a role model,” said Schneickert. “I hope that the students look up to us and think ‘oh I want to do something like that.’”
Schneickert is a junior at MSU, majoring in actuarial mathematics. She added that as a woman studying a STEM field, it makes her feel like she’s truly doing something important. She said she hopes women interested in STEM stand up for what they want.
“My parents wanted me to go to like, my community college but I was like ‘no, I think I’m ready to go to a four year university.’ I found my way to get to here so just don't take no as your first answer,” she said. “Consider yourself.”
Cory Fearing teaches middle school science at Greenwood, and she’s been a teacher for 31 years. The showcase was held in her classroom, and she said the event is an opportunity for the students to get excited about STEM and connect with a role model figure.
“I love the side conversations that my students are having with them, asking them what their major is and why they chose to have that,” Fearing said. “Seeing women empowered and being proud that they’re in STEM, I think sends a great message to all of my students.”
Fearing added that as a woman in STEM, she feels that women are in a place where they’re succeeding.
“I want to keep it in mind where we came from, but as of now, we’re ready to go,” she said. “We’re ready to take on any challenge that any male might have.”
Fearing emphasized that her classroom is a level playing field.
“The males in the classroom are expecting our girls to pull their weight and encourage it,” said Fearing. “We really encourage respect, and individuality and individual accountability.”
She said she hopes opportunities like the showcase give students the chance to find something they’re passionate about that they can take with them to high school.
