Hidden No More: Advancing Women in STEAM Fields was an U.S. Department of State International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) that brought eight women from Belize, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, El Salvador, Fiji, Hungary, Nigeria, and Vietnam to Pensacola in November 2018. During their time in northwest Florida, they explored policies of organizations and educational institutions championing the interest of women in science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics (STEAM) and networked with their professional counterparts across the region.
To begin their program, City Council Executive Don Kraher gave a welcome orientation at Pensacola City Hall. This was complimented by an overview of the robotics work taking place at the nearby Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC). The group joined Associate General Counsel Stephanie Tillery for a site visit of IHMC and met Valkyrie, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s humanoid robot. To engage in a dialogue with locals about the challenges and successes of STEAM professionals, the group engaged in discussion at a roundtable with educator Sara Barcellona, Carlee Clark of the National Flight Academy, biologist Lisa Smith, and Carrie Stevenson, an extension agent focused on coastal sustainability. The group next met Principal Shenna Payne of the West Florida High School of Advanced Technology. She highlighted her school’s STEAM curriculum and then gave a tour of the school with team members Cheyenne Novotny and Cathy Organt.
At Pensacola State College, Amber Carey, program coordinator for the Robinson Honors Program, spoke about how the honors program cultivates critical thinking and encourages civic and community engagement. They also met Dr. Brian Eddy at the University of West Florida to focus on a coding program for middle school girls and Dr. Megan Pratt of the Pensacola MESS (Math, Engineering, Science, and Stuff) Hall to talk about best practices in engaging young people in STEM.
This whirlwind visit included dinners in the homes of Gulf Coast Citizen Diplomacy Council members Terry and Jim Crowe, Karen and Mike Jurkowich, Debbie and Mike Layton, and Teresa and Bill Preston. The Gulf Coast Citizen Diplomacy Council thanks everyone who helped make this project a success.
