March Symposium

Although women make up nearly half the United States’ workforce, they remain under-represented in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields, particularly at advanced career stages and in leadership. Recent data shows that women earn 53% of STEM-related Bachelor’s degrees and 58% of all Bachelor’s degrees; however, they make up only 28% of the STEM workforce.

The theme of our 6th annual Chicago Women in STEM Symposium is Breaking Through Barriers in STEM. This event aims to address the disappointing statistics regarding the representation of women in STEM-related careers by hosting a variety of speakers who will share their stories and provide valuable information about resilience, empowerment, and breaking through both visible and invisible barriers in STEM. The symposium will consist of the following events:

• A workshop led by Byron Stewart, an expert in the field of scientific communication with experience mentoring people, and more specifically women, in STEM with regards to showing up confidently, having their voices heard, and breaking into their dream careers.

• A panel featuring local women leaders in STEM discussing their paths breaking into their current roles and what they may advise for those who aim to enter into either academia or industry and progress in their careers.

• Opportunities to interact with representatives from our initiative’s partner and sponsor organizations in industry, academia, law, and local non-profits.

• A keynote speaker, Dr. Azurii Collier, who is a leader in her field. She will focus on her career trajectory and how she overcame the hardships she faced along her journey.

• A closing networking reception that will facilitate conversations and interactions amongst early career women, volunteers, speakers, facilitators, and additional local female role models in STEM.