Women in STEM Share Experiences

Featured in the Spring 2022 Newsletter »

Throughout this spring, Belfer Fellow Dr. Syra Madad developed and hosted a Women in STEM event series to highlight women leaders in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). The aim of the series was to recognize the many accomplishments and contributions by women in STEM fields while educating and empowering young women, providing valuable advice, and sharing pearls of wisdom. This six-event series featured guest speakers that included America's Top Young Scientist Gitanjali Rao, former White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett, leading figure in the U.S. space program Lori Garver and Spacecraft Operations Engineer Nagin Cox, Tiktok-renowned epidemiologist Dr. Katrine Wallace, and many more.

This series featured conversations not only about the vast and incredible work these women in STEM are doing—from medicine to content creation, technological innovation, space exploration and policy—but also touched upon significantly more personal issues such as the unique hardships women face in male-dominated fields.

While the women who participated in this series came from a diverse set of backgrounds, identities, and professions, a common thread tied all of them together—the experience of being a woman in STEM. Former White House Senior Advisor Jarrett shared her struggles to balance her career and motherhood, often feeling that she had to sacrifice parts of her life to succeed professionally. Epidemiologist and health content creator Wallace told of her experience with harassment and violence that has come as her online platform grows, noting that much of the criticism she faces has nothing to do with her qualifications, but the fact that she is a woman. Spacecraft Engineer Cox and Earthrise Alliance CEO Garver spoke about their struggles with “imposter syndrome,” a phenomenon that disproportionately affects women in their careers and educations.

These open and at times raw conversations between Madad, a mother and leader in infectious disease response, and the impressive line-up of guest speakers, shed light upon and created space to honestly discuss the complex and multifaceted experiences women face in the fields of STEM. This group of women shared invaluable advice and wisdom for other current and future female leaders in STEM, providing words of encouragement, tips for navigating male-dominated fields, and pathways to succeed.