November 2-6
"Hidden No More"
Empowering Women Leaders In STEM
Australia, Brazil, Ghana, Italy, Kazakhstan, Mauritius, Nepal, Samoa
“Hidden No More - Empowering Women in STEM", a special IVLP initiative inspired by the work of African-American women scientists at NASA during the Space Age (the subject of the movie "Hidden Figures"), brought women leaders from Australia, Brazil, Ghana, Italy, Kazakhstan, Mauritius, Nepal and Samoa to Tampa Bay for interaction with our outstanding STEM educational resources. These included the Jacobson Technical High School, Lakewood High School, the USF College of Marine Science Oceanography Camp Especially for Girls, the St. Pete Innovation District, St. Petersburg College Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art, and the SPC Innovation Hub, where they met with Ms. Nicole Stott, a NASA Space Shuttle astronaut, and the renowned artists Carol Mickett and Robert Stackhouse, who transform STEM into STEAM! On November 4, WP partnered with Women in Tech and Entrepreneurship at Thrive DTSP for a "community conversation" to meet and interact with these pioneering women change-makers during the panel discussion and at the reception. Special thanks to the Salvador Dali Museum for hosting these extraordinary women leaders!
Welcome to Tampa Bay!
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A Saturday arrival with outstanding weather welcomed our women leaders, and they took advantage of the time to explore the downtown St. Pete waterfront. Early Sunday morning, after an extra hour of sleep thanks to the end of Daylight Savings Time, they were guests of the "inspiring" and "enjoyable" Salvador Dali Museum (especially learning how Dali incorporated science into his art)!
Then, off to a Gulf of Mexico seafood culinary event at Billy's Stone Crab, hosted by World Partnerships, where a lively conversation was accompanied by samplings of Stone Crab claws, alligator bites, and conch fritters. And celebrated a birthday too! To close out the day, they sailed off into the Gulf sunset. |
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USF Oceanography Camp Especially For Girls
Photos by Viviane Viana
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Monday got off to an early start, but there's nothing like a hands-on, get your feet wet morning session at the Oceanography Camp Especially for Girls to get yourself going! Their mission is to inspire and motivate young women entering high school to consider career opportunities in the sciences. OCG provides hands-on, real-world experiences in both laboratory and field environments. Professors, research scientists, and graduate students at USF provide scientific mentoring, while alumni campers serve as peer mentors to “new” campers while enhancing their own communication and leadership skills.Oceanography Camp Founder Dr. Teresa Greely, Faculty Director Education & Outreach, Biological Oceanographer & Science Educator University of South Florida College of Marine Science, and McKenzie Kerr, Lab Manager & Outreach Coordinator, University of South Florida discussed how the camp supports women graduate students in STEM & teen girls exploring STEM. Located on Boca Ciega Bay, the Hidden No More group spent time in the lab and got into the water to study some plankton and fish. With a new perspective on just how much of the earth is covered by ocean, how the ocean influences climate around the world, and how to bring this knowledge to young STEM students in their countries.
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Workshop at the St. Pete Innovation District "HUB"!
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Next up, lunch and a workshop at the Maritime and Defense Technology Hub (Hub) in the St. Pete Innovation District, hosted by District Director Ms. Alison Barlow and Ms. Lauren Bell, Hub Community Manager. The Hub is a shared workspace that brings together under one roof the triple helix of innovation: industry, government, and academia. It takes advantage of the increased need for maritime and national security technology solutions across the State of Florida and the Federal government. Women in STEM Workshop participants included: Ms. Nicole Bruger, Co-founder at Digital Twin Marine; Ms. Heidi Brockhaus, Florida Department of Environmental Protection; Ms. Charmaine Rushing, K-5 STEM Instructional Staff Developer, Pinellas County Schools; Ms. Sarah Gilbert, Chief Operating Officer, Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital; Ms. Gabriela Canas, Instructional Designer, NOAA Office for Coastal Management; Ms. Colbi Gemmell, Molecular Biosciences Teaching Lab Manager, University of South Florida; Ms. Alexa Iorillo, Biological Scientist II, Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute; Ms. Veatrice Farrell, Director, Digital Inclusion, Pinellas Education Foundation.
The IVLP leaders exchanged stories and ideas about empowering the next generation of women leaders in STEM, and explored ways in which the Innovation District workshop participants might collaborate with their programs back home. The HNM group also toured the Hub, met other companies in their offices, and enjoyed a spectacular rooftop view of Tampa Bay and downtown St. Petersburg. |
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"Community Conversation" with Women in Tech & Entrepreneurship @Thrive DTSP!
"I see the sign in this room. Together We Thrive. It's just so true..."
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"When we paddle together, we paddle further..."
With that quote to start the evening, Monday wrapped up with a panel discussion and reception with around 30 entrepreneurs representing event co-hosts Women in Tech and Entreprenueurship, Thrive DTSP and World Partnerships. In a bit of serendipity, the group was joined by a Hidden No More alumna from 2018! "Sometimes you need to look culture in the eye and change it!" In a lively engagement with the audience and with each other, the IVLP group related their journeys as STEM leaders, their work with young women in their countries, and important lessons learned along the way. Their words both challenged and inspired their audience to "agree to never tear down other women, only build them up." |
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The STEM Experience in High Schools!
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As the sun rose on Tuesday, the group headed to a couple of American high schools that focus on STEM programming. Accompanying the group was Dr. Catherine Mullins, Secondary STEM Instructional Staff Developer for Pinellas County Schools. First stop, the Richard O. Jacobson Technical High School - Tech High - combines traditional curricula with specialized career training, including computer gaming/app development, nursing, veterinary technician, marine mechanics and building construction. Career training is based on workforce needs in the community. Students receve professional certifications from these programs, and can choose to further their education after graduation or enter the workforce with credentials and experience. The school model was fascinating to our IVLP group, noting the "intense" resources devoted to the students, and the active interaction between school administrators/faculty and students made a great impression to the visitors. They also got some excellent "take home" ideas for their own schools and programs. The group also met with students to discuss their experiences in STEM education. Many thanks to Dr. Mullins, Principal Mr. Joshua Wolfenden, and Assistant Principal Dr. Melissa Campbell for the immersive, engaging experience at Tech High!
The next stop was a visit to the Center for Advanced Technology at Lakewood High School, a special "career academy" where students learn to be creators, problem-solvers, communicators, and innovators. Students take advanced courses Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, including robotics, artificial intelligence, drone design, computer programming and network administration, content creation, and digital media. Again, the visitors were struck by the resources devoted to the students. Over lunch, after touring the CAT Labs, the group angeged in a dialogue with about 50 female students, and enjoyed an inspirational Q&A. Special thanks to Mr. Lukas Hefty, CAT Assistant Principal, for organizing the tour and roundtable discussion! |
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STEAM - An Astronaut, Two Artists, and an Innovation Hub!
Photo by Nicole Stott
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To close the program, we travelled to the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art, a modern and contemporary art museum with a collection of more than 6,000 works of 20th and 21st century art on the Tarpon Springs campus of St. Petersburg College. With a backdrop of Picasso's masterwork "Guernica" (the musuem's full-sized authorized copy of the work), SPC graduate and retired NASA Space Shuttle Astronaut Nicole Stott, who spoke of her work as an astronaut, aquanaut, artist, author of Back to Earth ~ What Life In Space Taught Me About Our Home Planet - And Our Mission To Protect It, and most importantly a mom. She creatively combines the awe and wonder of her spaceflight experience with her artwork to inspire everyone’s appreciation of our role as crewmates here on Spaceship Earth. Nicole is a veteran NASA Astronaut with two spaceflights and 104 days living and working in space as a crewmember on both the International Space Station and the Space Shuttle. Personal highlights of her time in space include being the 10th woman to perform a spacewalk, first person to operate the ISS robotic arm to capture a free-flying cargo vehicle, and painting the first watercolor in space (on display at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum)! After her inspiring presentation, Ms. Stott personally autographed copies of her book to each participant, while answering their questions and encouraging their STEM empowerment mission.
Following Ms. Stott were the artists Ms. Carol Mickett and Mr. Robert Stackhouse, a collaborative team who merge art, architecture, and science to address pressing environmental issues. Their work demonstrates how creative collaboration can inspire innovative solutions to climate challenges and engage diverse audiences in sustainability efforts, illustrating the vital intersection of art and STEM. Their presentation, focused on water in the Gulf of Mexico, gave the visitors a completely new perspective on transforming STEM into STEAM! And before the day was done, the group was introduced to the new Chris Sprowls Innovation Hub on the SPC Tarpon Springs campus, which combines a Makerspace with a workforce development center. While touring the space with its administrators, a CAD engraving machine was etching commemorative key chain fobs for the group! Special thanks to Mr. Chad Mairn, Professor, Librarian, Innovation Lab, St. Petersburg College, Tarpon Springs Campus and Ms. Christine Carter, Executive Director, Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art, for orchestrating this extraordinary ending to our Hidden No More program. |