On March 18, 2024, I participated in the launch of the Women in STEM Ambassador Program. These ambassadors will participate in programs at schools, colleges, and conferences to raise awareness about opportunities for women in the semiconductor industry, and inspire interest in engineering and related STEM fields. As an ambassador, I’m proud to be a part of this group and will continue to use my role as NIST director to encourage women to pursue careers in STEM.
The Women in STEM Ambassador Program, along with CHIPS for America workforce programs, are about much more than addressing a shortage of skilled professionals. Such programs help make our economy work for everyone by expanding access to good jobs that include women, people of color, veterans, persons with disabilities, and rural populations.
To fill this gap, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo has called for the nation to triple the number of graduates in semiconductor-related fields, including engineering. To do that, we must bring more women and people of color into the workforce. Currently, women represent just 10%–25% of the semiconductor industry, and historically underrepresented groups make up only 20%.
Growing up as a scientist, I didn’t see role models who looked like me. I grew up in a small town where my father was a physicist—and my role model. He nurtured me to be a scientist, just like him. I’m so grateful he didn’t have different expectations for my brothers and me. He always told me that I could be anything that I wanted. Today, I am a Ph.D. scientist, a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the Undersecretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology, and the director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). All of these are professional roles that fulfill me and in which I’m incredibly honored to serve.
You can also contribute to safe, inclusive spaces with your empathy and leadership. Use your position in your community and at your job to help other voices be heard. Stand up to inequalities when you see them. Inspire change, inspire others to change, and be part of creating a more diverse and equitable future for all.
By mentoring, showing, and encouraging representation, you can advocate for equity, diversity, and inclusion. A study by the University of Massachusetts showed that just four meetings between female mentors and female engineering students increased students’ feelings of belonging, confidence, and motivation, and increased their ambitions to pursue a postgraduate engineering degree.
Representation matters. When people learn about the achievements of people with whom they identify, they believe they can achieve, too. Role models and mentors also can help people from underrepresented groups with the skills and support they need to overcome barriers to becoming a STEM professional.
Published March 21, 2024, here, and republished by NIST.