The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers get inspired attending the Women in STEM Summit

Getting young people interested in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers is said to be a high priority for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, specifically encouraging and stimulating qualified women into doing engineering and science.

Last year the 15 team members of New England District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (six male supervisors and nine female employees from Engineering/ Planning) found themselves among attendees at the Women in STEM conference.

Scott Acone, Chief of Engineering/Planning shared, “For Engineering and Planning, I wanted to know how we can create an environment that is more welcoming and open for both attracting and retaining qualified women doing engineering and science activities.”

The feedback on this question came not only from the presenters, but also from the District team themselves. Mark Anderson, New England District’s STEM coordinator said, “People felt comfortable enough to have a conversation. We sat and had about a 20-minute group recap. There were some really honest opinions that were going around the table at the end.” For some men in the audience it was an eye-opening experience to learn about the challenges for women in the STEM fields.

One of the team members stated that the highlight of the conference last year was ‘Broadening the Breadth of STEM Workforce Through Racial and Ethnic Diversity,' presented by Dr. Uma Gupta, Founder and Executive Director, STEM-Smart.org. Dr. Gupta talked about biology of the nervous system behind stereotypes and how we can recognize our unconscious prejudices, both racial and gender to use that to change our behavior.

The Women in STEM 2014 drove awareness and created more opportunities for mentorship and career development for those who attended the event.

Here are some of the titles that will be covered during the Women in STEM Summit 2015:

• Strategies for Effectively Hiring and Retaining STEM Talent
• Smart STEM Investing: What to Measure and Why Diversity Matters to the Bottom Line
• The Tone at the Top Matters: Creating a Culture to Advance Employee and Organizational Goals
• Case Study: Integrating Recent College Graduates into Your Workforce and more.


Read the Women in STEM Summit agenda here.
RVSP your seat now here.