STEM Gems #GiveGirlsRoleModels Campaign and Pop-Up Tour

"...The fact that one in seven engineers is a woman. That only one in 50 is an African-American woman. The fact that I, as an African-American female engineer, am 10 times rarer than a woman in Congress.

A lack of diverse perspectives means the teams creating the next life-changing technologies in our societies are not as equipped as they otherwise would be. How can we innovate for a diverse world if we don’t have diverse innovators?

The reason STEM recruitment and retention is broken when it comes to attracting and holding on to women and minorities, I believe, is they don’t see enough people who look like them in their fields, a signal to them that maybe this field isn’t for them – maybe they weren’t meant to succeed here."

- Corlis Murray, Senior Vice President and Head of Engineering at Abbott

Who We Are

Research shows that girls who have STEM role models are 1.4 times more likely to pursue opportunities within STEM fields, yet only 40% of girls say they have a role model in STEM.

STEM Gems #GiveGirlsRoleModels is a STEM women awareness campaign that has reached 12,000+ diverse women and girls around the country in just two years.

What We Do

We partner with organizations, corporations, and universities to host STEM Gems #GiveGirlsRoleModels on-campus pop-ups that improve the visibility of STEM women role models for girls and young women.

We encourage collaboration amongst internal groups such as Diversity & Inclusion, Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)/Affinity Groups, Women’s Networks, and senior leaders—welcoming STEM women and allies to augment impact.

Why This Matters

Visibility of women in STEM is important. This campaign is especially critical to:

• Promote STEM Role Models and Visibility: Visibility of STEM women as role models plays a significant part in increasing girls’ selection of STEM subjects and pursuance of STEM careers. You can't be what you can't see.
• Build a Stronger Pipeline in STEM & Help to Close the Gender Gap: Inspiring girls to pursue professional opportunities in STEM fields helps close the gender gap and fill the leaky STEM pipeline. Adding untapped talents of diverse intellects to our workforce drives innovation in a competitive environment.
• Increase Employee Engagement and Value: Our on-campus pop-ups increase engagement amongst STEM women employees by strengthening their belonging and value within the workplace and fostering a culture of giving back to the community.
• Highlight the Significance of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math: More than 15 national STEM holidays exist annually to keep people of all ages engaged in STEM, such as “Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day” and “National STEM/STEAM Day.”

Join the Movement and Be Visible!

No more "hidden figures!" If we want to see more girls in STEM, it’s OUR responsibility to inspire them!

Show your support of STEM women as role models for girls and get your #GiveGirlsRoleModels t-shirt today! By wearing the official #GiveGirlsRoleModels t-shirt, you help promote visibility of inspiring STEM women role models to girls. Girls who have STEM role models are more likely to pursue STEM subjects and choose STEM careers, which is why your partnership is critical to highlight women researchers, innovators, designers, and problem solvers! Amplify impact on social media by posting a photo in your campaign -shirt - use the hashtag #GiveGirlsRoleModels and tag @STEMGemsBook. 

To order your STEM Gems #GiveGirlsRoleModels t-shirt, click here.

Further support the STEM Gems Movement by leading a local STEM Gems Club, where you recruit and lead a group of girls to explore STEM careers via the STEM Gems Discussion Guides (available online). If you can’t lead one yourself, introduce the STEM Gems Club to you local K-12 schools or girl-centered community groups, or volunteer to speak at an existing Club to help increase reach and impact.

To learn more about the STEM Gems Club for girls and young women, click here.

Become a Partner Organization

Amplify your organization's commitment to diversity and inclusion within STEM careers and Host a Partner Pop-Up! To augment the STEM Gems Book, STEM Gems Club, and digital initiative, our on-campus pop-ups create a unique way for organizations to raise STEM awareness for girls in your local community and support women employees. Our partners pair each pop-up with a national STEM holiday or existing company event, happy hour, lunch-and-learn, or internal meeting to maximize participation and amplify impact both internally and on a national scale. 

We encourage collaboration amongst internal groups such as Diversity & Inclusion, Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)/Affinity Groups, Women’s Networks, and senior leaders—welcoming STEM women and allies to augment impact.

For more information about the STEM Gems #GiveGirlsRoleModels Pop-Up Tour and to become a partner organization, please click here or email [email protected].

Towards a common goal,

Stephanie Espy