Samantha Macrides ’18, Anabelle Wondrasch ’18: The Science Cafe is a new speaker series, run primarily by science teachers Angela Miklavcic and Kelley Bethoney, that makes STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) resources and professionals more available to the girls of EA. Women that specialize in the fields of STEM are invited for an informal conversation to educate interested girls on their studies and their experiences. Miklavcic, Chair of the Science Department notes “women are historically underrepresented in these STEM fields, and one of the reasons for that may be not having any sense of a connection with someone who is in a STEM field, not understanding what some of the challenges are until they face them. So, our first speaker came and talked about her work, but she also explained the path to her career and the adversity she faced.” The point of this mini-lecture series is to encourage more EA students, specifically females, to take interest in these STEM fields.
Bethoney and Miklavcic began preparing this series only a few months ago. Last year, Bethoney traveled to Penn State, where she and her students from PJAS (Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science) spent time in a college lab. Through these Women in Science Days, she wanted to promote females to pursue fields of technology, engineering, math, or science.
Parisa Afsharian ‘19 is involved with PJAS, which inspired her to attend the first cafe session. She comments, “I went to the first meeting because of Dr. Bethoney, who encouraged me to go see Dr. Jennifer Rhodes speak on the topic of studying red-blood cells in zebrafish and their reproduction, which indirectly relates to the project I’m doing for PJAS this winter.”
Through Bethoney’s partnership with Miklavcic, who had already started formulating ideas for the series, the two teachers reached out to professional women they knew in the STEM fields and used other connections to invite speakers. Since then, the plan has gained support and popularity throughout campus. “Different department chairs are involved, as well as any other women on campus that might have connection to STEM. Dr. Hall, Dr. Locke, Dr. Dinkins are all really supportive of it,” says Miklavcic. Although Only one of these gatherings has taken place this year, “the enthusiasm and benefits were evident immediately after the presentation,” states Lauren Rodio ‘18, who attended the first discussion.
“I went to the meeting expecting to watch her talk for 30 minutes and eat my sandwich, but in reality I was captivated the entire time,” says Afsharian. “I loved how she described the educational and professional journey she went through to become a professor and researcher, and her research inspired me to expand my PJAS project.” This is exactly the kind of result Miklavcic and Bethoney were hoping to see following the cafe. “Everyone that attended seemed to really enjoy and engage in the presentation as the speaker talked about the obstacles she was able to overcome. Hearing her story inspired me and the others in attendance to, as cliché as it sounds, never give up. A few setbacks do not mean women cannot be successful in the scientific field.”