Welcome to FemSTEM
- wiseglobally
- Mar 19
- 3 min read
Date: 3/19/2025
Written By: Julia Licu (FemSTEM Program Director)
In January, 2024 the Be WISE Initiative launched our first semester of the FemSTEM Mentorship program. Ten undergraduate students at The Ohio State University volunteered their time and expertise to advise interested high-schoolers throughout the Columbus area. One year later, our semester-long mentorship program has inspired 75 women and reached over 7,000 through our social media, and is continuing to expand every day. Created and run by women, for women, program participants span three counties, ages 14 to 23, and occupy diverse interests in engineering, physics, medicine, dentistry, biomedical research, computer science, and more.
But, why is our mission important?
According to a study published by the U.S. National Science Foundation Directorate for STEM Education, women represent only 25% of the overall STEM workforce, despite making up roughly 50% of the general population¹. Contributing to the severe deficit of female STEM professionals, the steepest drop-off for female engagement occurs between high school and college: with a 42 percent decrease between 12th grade girls who report interest in science careers (59%), and their college freshmen counterparts who actually decide to pursue a STEM degree (17%)¹.
FemSTEM was founded to address this disparity and increase female retention in STEM by fostering confidence, collaboration and community amongst women of diverse ages and backgrounds.
High-school aged mentees are paired individually with dedicated Ohio State undergraduates based on shared interests and career goals. Pairings meet each week, during which mentors answer college and career questions, facilitate introductions to professors and researchers, assist with internships and job applications, and provide personalized advice.
“I met with the curator of a museum and she showed me samples of bats which were SUPER cool! She also told me about how to do genomic sequencing and I would have never gotten this opportunity if it weren’t for my mentor reaching out to her!” - Azzy X, 14
FemSTEM hosts monthly collaborative events centering women’s issues in science. We organize resume, career and cold-emailing workshops, tours of Ohio State research facilities, conduct honest discussions about issues like stress and imposter syndrome, welcome guest speakers, and collaborate with other female-run community and national organizations such as Fighting Pretty and The Women’s Network.
The semester culminates with our FemSTEM Project Symposium, where mentees develop presentation skills, and share their capstone projects in areas of professional development, community service, and jump-starting research/innovation.
Our December 2024 Project Symposium presented the impactful work of 30 mentors and mentees. Some highlights include:
Mentee Meghana M and Industrial and Systems Engineering student Carolyn D presented a comprehensive design model for a Formula One race car.
Mentee Alexa X and Actuarial Sciences student Elizabeth S pitched a non-profit, Bird2Branch, with the mission of using the fascinating science of birds to inspire young children.
Mentee Michelle L and Physics student Kieran K presented astrophysics research about dark matter in the Milky Way.
Mentee Rishika B and Biomedical Sciences student Gauri A interviewed Ohio State cancer researcher Dr. Amanda Toland.
Mentee Emily M and Biomedical Engineering student Elizabeth J presented a research project exploring the intersection between academic rigor, stress and social priority, with MatLab coding software.
By guiding mentees through a semester of personal and professional exploration, mentors are provided an avenue to give back to their communities and pass along their knowledge and experiences to younger students.
“FemSTEM is a wonderful program that allowed me to form friendships with other girls and women in STEM. I love being able to give back to others and share my personal experiences, and be a guiding light that I would've loved to have when I was in high school.” - Aishwarya G, 21
Applications for our program are available in August and December. Join us at the next cohort as a Mentee or a Mentor!
Sources:
[1] Ellis J, Fosdick BK, Rasmussen C. Women 1.5 Times More Likely to Leave STEM Pipeline after Calculus Compared to Men: Lack of Mathematical Confidence a Potential Culprit. PLoS One. 2016 Jul 13;11(7):e0157447. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0157447. PMID: 27410262; PMCID: PMC4943602.
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