The UTRGV Mathematics and Science Academy hosted the Leading Educating and Advancing Diversity (LEAD) Conference for its 112 female high school students to motivate them to pursue a career in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, or STEM.
Between 1993 and 2010, women’s presence among computer and mathematical scientists declined from 31% to 25% due to the fact that men’s rate of growth was higher in this area than women’s, according to the National Science Foundation website, nsf.gov.
The conference, which took place Oct. 25 in the Library Auditorium on the Edinburg campus, focused on female role models who shared their stories with students.
“I am very excited to reach out to the girls because we have a very low representation of females in engineering,” said Edna Orozco, a UTRGV manufacturing and industrial engineering lecturer. “I am always happy and excited to see that these events are taking place at the university.”
Female engineering panelists presented on various topics, such as the different areas of study and what types of jobs are available for those who have an education in engineering.
“It’s great to see MSA students, having all the females in one room and giving us a chance to talk about what we do in electrical engineering and in general engineering,” said Laura Benitez, an electrical and computer engineering lecturer at UTRGV. “It’s a great opportunity for them to see what other careers are out there.”
Panelists also stressed the importance of destroying the stigmas that come with being a woman in the engineering field.
“It’s a male-dominated field but that doesn’t mean that [women] have to be scared of it,” said Karen Lozano, a mechanical engineering professor at UTRGV. “Sometimes there’s a lot of misconceptions or stereotypes. For example, in mechanical engineering, people think … that’s not a girly thing. It’s not a male-dominated field because it’s male things you have to do. … I just hope for these girls to join our department and see them in our classrooms in the future.”
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