Eastern Edge Women in STEM

Careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics—STEM—have exploded in the last decade, and are projected to increase by another 1 million jobs in the next decade. Students who graduate with STEM training are also competitive for non-STEM jobs because they have the teamwork and problem-solving skills that employers need in the 21^st century workforce. Washington is a national leader in STEM with growing technology, biomedical, and advanced manufacturing sectors. These careers also have the greatest wage potential, which can literally transform lives and bring families out of poverty. Unfortunately, that growth potential is not reaching a significant proportion of prospective talent.

The lack of diversity in STEM fields is staggering—both in higher education and industry—and specifically, lack of women in classrooms and careers. Women earn less than 20% of the bachelor’s degrees in computer science and engineering—two of the STEM fields with the largest growth potential.

During the luncheon, EWU student and alumnae panelists will discuss the topic, co-moderated by Angela Jones, CEO of Washington STEM, and Leslie Cornick, PhD, Associate Dean for the EWU College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Following the program, EWU faculty and staff will facilitate roundtable discussions, diving deeper into the issue, as well as exploring additional community and professional needs from attendees.