Today in Washington D.C., the American Chemical Society
Science & the Congress (ACS) and Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) are
sponsoring a briefing and panel discussion on STEM Workforce Equality: Engaging
Girls and Women.
Honorary co-hosts are Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) and
Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) will be joined by moderator Madeleine Jacobs,
Executive Director, American Chemical Society, who will facilitate a panel discussion on options to foster
youths’—particularly girls’— curiosity and build a future STEM workforce that
reflects the national population and helps to deliver prosperity to our
communities. Panelists include Anna
Maria Chavez, CEO, Girl Scouts of the USA; Carol Amos, Manager Field
Engineering Program, DuPont, Cassandra Alexandra, Gold Award recipient, Girl
Scouts of Alaska Council; and Judy Brown, Senior Vice President of Education,
Miami Science Museum. Anne Hogan, CEO,
Girl Scouts of the Chesapeake Bay Council, will be attending along with girl
scouts from Senator Coons’ state of Delaware.
The topic is of great importance given that a workforce
trained in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) drives
innovation and a strong economy. While
young people possess a natural excitement for STEM, young women represent a
minority of STEM workers. Panelists will
speak to best practices in out-of-school settings to engage and energize girls
into STEM interests with a focus on the K-12 age group.