SU Hosts 'STEM Careers for Your Future' Friday, February 10

SALISBURY, MD---Salisbury University welcomes over 150 young women from high schools across the Lower Eastern Shore for “Start Now! STEM Careers for Your Future” on Friday, February 10.

The event allows female students to discover the variety of opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields and learn how to network with like-minded peers and professionals.

“Although nearly half the American workforce is female, only about 25 percent of STEM workers are women, so it’s important to us to engage young women in thinking about STEM careers and how to pursue them,” said Dr. Karen Olmstead, dean of SU’s Richard A. Henson School of Science and Technology. Nearly 40 percent of the full-time faculty in SU’s STEM programs are women, she said, adding that they teach topics ranging from engineering to neuroscience. 

In the morning, students attend a panel discussion and question-and-answer session from 9:30-11 a.m. in the Wicomico Room of the Guerrieri University Center. Panelists include representatives of NASA Wallops Flight Facility, K&L Microwave, Perdue Farms, Layfield Veterinary Services, Hardwire and the Eastern Shore Regional GIS Cooperative at SU. 

Afterward, the speakers join representatives of the Women’s Circle at SU and the Maryland PROMISE AGEP (Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate) for networking and lunch, giving the students experience engaging with professionals. The Maryland PROMISE AGEP is a USM effort to increase to the participation of underrepresented groups in STEM programs and academic careers.

The event is made possible through the generous support of K&L Microwave, Olmstead added.

Schools or teachers interested in bringing students to attend should contact SU STEM Coordinator Kristen Paul at kapaul@salisbury.edu for more information.