May Meeting: Closing the Gender and Minorities Gap in Engineering
Sponsored by MIT Lincoln Laboratory
| Do you wish there were more women at your workplace - either as peers or as leaders you could aspire to? We must start recruiting from an early age. Do you have a daughter, neighbor, etc. who should explore science, math, or engineering? Then this is the meeting for you! The first half of this meeting will provide networking opportunities and dinner. The second half will feature our keynote speaker, Dr. Yvonne Spicer. We will also review outreach opportunities provided by SWE-Boston. In the 21st century, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) create opportunities for all our students, but females need to be front and center. The question we need to ask ourselves is; “Are we preparing our young women for their future or our past?” In the global economy, invention and innovation are challenging us to stay competitive. This presentation will address the state of STEM education for females, and initiatives to deal with a growing concern of their underrepresentation in STEM fields in the United States. According to a report by the National Academies, Rising Above the Gathering Storm, Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future, “the scientific and technical building blocks of our economic leadership are eroding at a time when many other nations are gathering strength— it’s also important to insure that there is opportunity for females. I believe we have the ability to raise the bar for females in STEM education as long as we have the tools. At the National Center for Technological Literacy® (NCTL®) located at the Museum of Science, Boston, Massachusetts, USA we have made great strides in transforming STEM education through rich and engaging curriculum. RSVP by May 22, 2008 via Acteva For other questions, please send a message to swebos@sweboston.org. |
Date: Thursday, May 29, 2008 |
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| Cost: $0 MIT Lincoln Laboratory Employee$5 Student $10 Non-working SWE member $15 SWE member $25 Non-member |
About our Speaker:
Dr. Yvonne Spicer is the Vice President of Advocacy &Educational Partnerships at the National Center for Technological Literacy® at the Museum of Science, Boston. Dr. Spicer is a highly sought after national and international speaker and advocate for K-12 STEM education with expertise in technology and engineering education, standards development and school leadership. Spicer was instrumental in establishing the new Massachusetts technology/engineering learning standards with Dr. Ioannis (Yannis) Miaoulis, president and director, Museum of Science. Concerned by how many children in the U.S. "are shut out of technology and engineering," Spicer makes a compelling case for closing the gender and minorities gap in engineering. When she earned her doctorate at the University of Massachusetts Boston in 2004, she did her dissertation research on how nine African American female public school principals survived and thrived as educational leaders. Dr. Spicer is the former Director of Career & Technical Education in Newton, Massachusetts and served as the Statewide Technology/Engineering Coordinator at the Massachusetts Department of Education. She earned a BS and MS in Industrial Arts & Technology from SUNY-Oswego. Dr Spicer is a native of Brooklyn, New York and has made a commitment to improving the opportunities for females and students of color in science, technology, engineering mathematics (STEM) fields.
About our Sponsor:
MIT Lincoln Laboratory has pioneered in advanced electronics since its origin in 1951 as a Federally Funded Research and Development Center of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The Laboratory's fundamental mission is to apply science and advanced technology to critical problems of national security.
The scope of the problems has broadened from the initial emphasis on air defense to include communications, space surveillance, missile defense, tactical surveillance systems, air traffic control as well as air defense. Throughout its history, the Laboratory has had an extensive program in advanced electronics technology which has led to major advances across the breadth of its programs.
Directions:
Directions to Lincoln Laboratory:
From I-95/128 - Exit 31B
-Take Exit 31B onto Routes 4 and 225 toward Bedford. Stay in right lane.
Use right turning lane (0.3 mile from exit) to access Hartwell Ave. at 1st traffic light
Follow Hartwell Ave. to Wood St. (~1.3 miles).
Turn left onto Wood St. and drive for 0.3 mile.
* Turn right at the Lincoln Laboratory Wood Street Gate.
From I-95/128 - Exit 30B
* Take Exit 30B onto Route 2A. Stay in right lane.
* Turn right onto Mass. Ave. (~0.4mile - opposite Minuteman Tech).
* Follow Mass. Ave. for ~0.4 mile.
* Turn left onto Wood St. and drive for 1 mile.
* Turn left at the Lincoln Laboratory Wood Street Gate.
Please enter MIT Lincoln Laboratory parking lot at the 244 Wood Street entrance and park in visitor parking. The entrance to the cafeteria is on the lower level, take the outside stairs at the left of the main entrance.
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