Image courtesy of Sarah Gerrity.
MORE PROFILES
- Make sure to check out more #WomenInSTEM content by visiting Women @ Energy.
It’s imperative that we have all hands on deck to advance transformative clean energy projects, help move new technologies to the market, and to solve tough problems like climate change. And with women holding only about a quarter of jobs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics -- otherwise known as the STEM fields -- there is a crucial need to bring women’s voices to the table as we tackle these top issues.
At the Energy Department, we’re addressing the STEM gap in a number of ways, including sharing the personal stories of women with STEM careers. Today our #WomenInSTEM video series is celebrating its first birthday.
In 2014, we traveled around the country to interview women in a diverse set of energy careers. This included folks like Rhonda Jordan, an energy specialist at the World Bank who also works with her own startup to connect residents in Tanzania to the grid. We spoke with researchers like Angela Capece, a physicist studying plasma-surface interactions in fusion devices. We even spoke with Cheryl Martin, former acting director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy (ARPA-E), to learn what it’s like to put a STEM background to use driving new energy technologies to the market.
All of our interviewees had key tips for young women interested in STEM careers: leverage the skills you have -- from both paid and unpaid or volunteer opportunities -- when you consider the next stepping stone in your career. And reach out to someone to mentor you. This can be someone in your field, or even in an area outside of your field, as long as this is someone with whom you feel comfortable discussing your career goals.
Thanks for following our #WomenInSTEM video series this year. Make sure to stay tuned for even more great #WomenInSTEM content in 2015.
