The Nebraska Science Festival invites the public to attend a free panel discussion featuring women successful in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) careers.
“Women in Science” will be April 24 at 6 p.m. at the Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center on the University of Nebraska at Omaha campus. Panelists will share their life experiences, as well as lessons learned, as they inspire others to consider STEM careers.
Panelists are:
- Deann Akins-Lewenthal, Ph.D., director of food safety and microbiology for Conagra Brands;
- Lydia Kang M.D., assistant professor of internal medicine at UNMC and author of historical, young adult and non-fiction books including: “Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything” (co-authored with Nate Pedersen);
- Amelia Tangeman, STEM outreach coordinator at the University of Nebraska at Omaha; and
- Nicole Mitchell, coordinator, the Whitney Young Academy and Project Ready, Urban League of Nebraska.
STEM careers offer women the opportunity to engage in some of the most exciting realms of discovery and technological innovation. But, according to the United States Department of Commerce, women are vastly underrepresented in STEM jobs and among STEM degree holders despite making up nearly half of the U.S. workforce and half of the college-educated workforce.
Women with STEM jobs earned 33 percent more than comparable women in non-STEM jobs — considerably higher than the STEM premium for men. As a result, the gender wage gap is smaller in STEM jobs than in non-STEM jobs.
Presented by UNMC, the Nebraska Science Festival is a collaboration of organizations and individuals interested in the advancement of science literacy. In addition to UNMC, other sponsors, to date, are the Nebraska Coalition for Lifesaving Cures, Metro Credit Union, NEST 529 College Savings, Metropolitan Community College and media sponsors KETV and the Omaha World-Herald.
In addition to NeSciFest.com, you will find SciFest updates and information on Twitter (@NESciFest) and Facebook (NE SciFest).