IF/THEN

Thrilled to announce that I am a featured scientist in the "I Am A Scientist" spotlight collection!! The "I Am a Scientist program" is a K-12 multimedia storytelling initiative designed to break barriers and stereotypes in STEM classrooms. The program is a partner of the STEMM Equity & Excellence 2050 initiative, co-hosted by SOA and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Go to Olivia Paige Dotson "Molecular Engineer & Vegan Baker" [https://lnkd.in/gC4ih-2c] to see my story of how I became a scientist and my mission to ignite the spark for science in future generations of scientists like me! The website also has a plethora of accessible classroom resources for outreach and interactive learning tools for students to engage. Thank you to Stephanie Fine Sasse for telling my story in the context of my science and thank you to the MACGILLIVRAY FREEMAN FILMS EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION and IF/THEN for this incredible collection of spotlights. Please go check out all the other amazing scientists and their work at iamascientist.info/stories.

I'm a little late for #NationalSTEMDay but in my world, every day is #STEM day! Thanks to KID Museum for hosting my livestream with Exploring by the Seat of Your Pants on "Inventing the Future with Robots!" This series, connecting classrooms around the world with #WomenInSTEM is sponsored by the IF/THEN initiative and Frontiers' Frontiers for Young Minds Journal. I asked Google's NotebookLM for "Five Interesting Points from my Interactive Session." It only gave me 4, but they are good! ?? The session showcased the collaborative nature of invention, as audience members built upon the initial idea of a time-teaching robot for kindergarteners, generating various possibilities ideas including a robot that transforms into a clock and one that delivers snacks at snack time. ??Dr. Lathan's work on an instrumented glove, which evolved over a decade from simple sensors to a complex glove with sensors in each finger, demonstrated that invention is an iterative process. ??The discussion about the potential for robots to become evil led to a thought-provoking exploration of the evolving relationship between humans and technology, with Dr. Lathan suggested that people might become more like robots through advancements in robotics and implants. ??Dr. Lathan emphasized the importance of motors in giving robots movement and functionality, using the "brushbot," made from a toothbrush head, motor, and battery, as a simple yet effective example. Events like these not only celebrate the achievements of women in STEM but also serve as a catalyst for young minds to dream big and break barriers. It's about showing students that the world of science and technology is not only accessible but also a place where they can make a significant impact. Link to the full livestream in the comments as well as links to the the full IF/THEN series w/ Dr. Wendy Bohon Elizabeth Engler-Chiurazzi, Ph.D. Johanna Varner Kristen Lear, PhD Ronda Hamm Lindsey Rustad Adele Luta Katy Croff Bell Gracie Ermi Jessica Taaffe, PhD Becca Peixotto Samantha Wynns Lataisia Jones, Ph.D. Jessica Fagerstrom Siobahn G. #STEMEducation #InnovationForGood #TechForGood *Image created with the assistance of DALL·E 2

Are you a Comic-Con fan?! ?? Thanks to the generosity of IF/THEN and my IF/THEN sister Samantha Wynns had the incredible opportunity to return to San Diego Comic-Con for the third year in a row! This year was especially exciting because, for the first time, I was a moderator instead of a panelist. ?? I moderated a session called "The Science of the Three-Body Problem" (https://lnkd.in/drBwtzvW), which was both challenging and rewarding. Moderating a room is quite different from being on the panel, but with the help of our amazing panelists — Gracie Ermi, Earyn McGee, Beata Mierzwa, Lisa Will, Perla Myers, and Karla Reyes — the session was a success! We had a full house, with people even waiting for a spot to enter, and the feedback was incredibly positive. ?? Comic-Con is always a time for reconnecting, re-energizing, and learning from fellow IF/THEN Ambassadors. It’s such a privilege to see the amazing work each of my 14 sisters is doing in their fields. I look forward to it every year and hope to continue being a part of it! On the philanthropic side, we hosted multiple events at the Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park. One of the highlights was a BioBlitz Dungeons & Dragons themed game where students learned about science and the environment. I got to interact with them as they shared their thoughts on plants, and together we created a tree out of leaves they designed with their environmental ideas. ?? We also introduced students to coding using Nuevo Foundation workshops. They got to program Adafruit circuits with tangerines, triggering sounds and lights when the tangerine was touched! ?? It was so much fun, and by the end, students were even creating shapes with Python. Finally, we wrapped up with a mentoring session for high schoolers, where all 15 IF/THEN Ambassadors answered their STEM-related questions. It was inspiring to hear their interests and goals! Huge thanks to Sam for making it all happen. Comic-Con always fills me with new ideas and recharges my passion to inspire the next generation of STEM leaders. ?? P.S. I wore my first real costume this year—still a work in progress, but I’m getting there! ?? #SDCC #STEMeducation #IFTHENAmbassador #NuevoFoundation #GiveBack #ScienceForAll #ComicCon2024

I’m a huge fan of supporting women and girls in STEM, and have been following IF/THEN since my time as Chief Development Officer at Adventure Science Center. Totally cheered with excitement when my brilliant sister, Kelly Cloud, took me on a tour of the BioLabs Pegasus Park campus in Dallas (she’s the Life Science go-to for the #dallasregionalchamber). I got to see some of these beautiful, orange women in STEM in person! ???????????? (Fun fact - the statues are the actual heights of these changemakers and super smart scientists!) And, the BioLabs campus that is supported by the incomparable Lyda Hill??? The science, technology, labs, innovation, facilities, collaboration …. Incredible. Dallas is doing big things in STEM. (Shameless plug - reach out to Kelly if you are interested relocating a STEM biz to Texas! She has her finger on the pulse of all things life science and will steer <Texas pun intended> you in the right direction!)

I was one of only two women in my graduating aerospace engineering class. When I started my space career, there were never more than four women on my teams. I struggled to find a community and often felt completely alone in this field. Fast forward to today, and I am surrounded by so many incredible women in STEM who are quite literally changing the world. From sending spacecraft to the Moon to building rockets and airplanes, to inspiring hundreds of millions of people to gaze up at the stars…these women, and countless others not pictured here, never cease to amaze and inspire me. I am so grateful for opportunities like Reinvented Magazine’s annual Space Gala that bring women in STEM together from all over the world. We need more events like these to ensure that every single woman in this industry feels like they have a community, are supported, and can achieve their wildest dreams. Science and technology will become more inclusive, innovative, and overall better off for it. ???? Pictured here: Alexandra Doten, Susan Martínez, Lauren Savage, Asia Noelani F., Xyla Foxlin #WomenInSTEM #WomenInSpace #Aerospace

I think I’m still in shock… ?? I went to the European Diversity Awards on my own with no expectation of winning and came home with the award for Women in Technology!! ?? This kind of recognition means so much, particularly as I have been finding the juggle of running a small business and raising small children especially tough lately ?? The reality is I was up half the night before feeding my 8 month old and pumping to make sure he would have enough milk while I was out at the ceremony, so I definitely wasn’t at my most lucid when I was called up on stage and asked to make a speech, then whisked off for a video interview..! ?? If I’d had the confidence (and brain power) to plan what to say, I would have thanked Sam Kamyar and Steve Brown at Empiric for setting up Next Tech Girls and trusting me to lead it - you helped me find my calling; my team (past and present) - Johnny Beverton, Gayle Thompson-Igwebike, Tom Nugent, Anousheh ?Yazdani, Arin O., Caroline Holmes, Ali Dunnett - for your passion and dedication; all our partners and sponsors for believing in our mission and proving your commitment to making the industry more representative (special shoutout to Haylee Potts and Gemma Daly for your early advocacy); our Role Models for your generosity, lending your time and expertise to help inspire the next generation; and every young woman who’s taken part in our programmes and contributed to this amazing community we’re building ?? My highlights of the night were meeting so many amazing people, including Jane Francis and her DEI leads who won Outstanding Women’s Network of the Year ??, my table mates Meghan Reed and colleagues who won Not-for-profit of the Year ??, Kellie Lombard, Char Bailey and Carley Owen who provided excellent end of evening conversation ?? and it was wonderful to finally meet Farhana Kuddus in person and see Claire Parker for the first time in about 8 years..?! The performance from Boney M and surprise award for Beverley Knight were a lot of fun too! ?? Congratulations Linda Riley on 15 years of these awards, your contribution to society in showcasing and celebrating so many inspiring people and organisations is huge! I hope this won’t be the last time I get to experience one of your events ?? #EuropeanDiversityAwards #WomenInTechnology #AwardWinner #DiversityInTech