According to research compiled by Catalyst, a global nonprofit that helps organizations accelerate progress for women at work, approximately 1/3 of degrees in all STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) fields are earned by women. Men dominate the STEM workforce in many countries, organizations in the STEM fields have fewer women on their Boards than other industries, and even in high-paying STEM jobs, women earn less than men.
AWWEE is excited to welcome three inspiring women who will share their perspectives on what is keeping girls from pursuing an education and career in STEM and discuss what they are doing to support more gender balance in the STEM fields.
Amber Zertuche is San Francisco Regional Director at IGNITE Worldwide. An organization that works directly with teachers during the school day to provide programming that promotes STEM education and career advancement for girls and non-binary youth from historically marginalized communities. Through hands-on events that connect students with role models who live and work in their communities, students recognize new possibilities for their futures. Amber will discuss opportunities for AWWEE members to serve as a role model or mentor to young women with an interest in STEM. Amber grew up in Fresno, California, and got her B.S. in Optical Science and Engineering at University of California, Davis. She has worked with femtosecond lasers to create waveguides at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and worked as one of the few women Metrology Engineers on the primary mirrors for the James Webb Space Telescope at Tinsley Laboratories in Richmond, California. Seeing a need for more diversity in the engineering workforce, Amber went back to school to receive her M.S. in Math and Science Education at the University of California, Berkeley, with the goal to work at the high school level and directly encourage girls to pursue STEM education and careers. She became a Physics and Engineering teacher at Burton High School in San Francisco Unified School District and opened an IGNITE chapter there. Amber is also the Co-membership Chair at Double Union (a hacker/maker space for women in San Francisco), part of the Society of Women Engineers Golden Gate Section, an avid concert-goer, vegan, and a yoga practitioner.
Lilly Shraibati is the Group Manager for Real Property at Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. She is a licensed Professional Civil Engineer and a Founding Board Member of the Bonita J. Campbell Endowment for Women in Science and Engineering. For the past 12 years, Lilly has served as a Robotics Education Competition Foundation Judge Advisor at the Vex World Events. Lilly will share strategies for success for women in STEM, particularly from her experience as a woman in a male-dominated industry. She will also discuss programs offered by MWD specifically to encourage girls to pursue a path in the water industry.
Laura Dabundo is a freshman at the University of California at Berkeley where she is student mechanical engineering. Laura participates in a mentoring program through the Society of Women Engineers, where she is mentored by AWWEE member and moderator for the panel discussion, Jenn Hyman.
The panel will be moderated by Jenn Hyman, PE, LEED AP, is Director of Engineering at EKI Environmental & Water, Inc. Jenn has nearly 30 years’ experience in the fields of water resources and civil engineering. She is passionate about supporting women and girls in the STEM fields, as demonstrated by her active participation and volunteerism for AWWEE and the Society of Women Engineers.
Thank you to AWWEE’s Bay Area Regional Team for organizing this webinar event.
Registration is free for active AWWEE members and $20 for non-members