A noted Yale professor and science adviser to the PBS series NOVA spoke Friday morning in Rochester to encourage more girls to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math—or STEM.
Doctor Ainissa Ramirez gave a talk entitled “The Future Needs Girls in Science” at the Girl Scouts of Western New York’s Leadership Breakfast Series.
Ramirez says she wants to give young woman an extra-boost to hold on to their curiosity.
“I think every child has an inner scientist and we have to continue to nature it. If you think about there are 5 million kindergarteners who go to school and they're armed with one word, "why?" They keep asking why over and over and over again, but by the time they leave the school system they don't ask why anymore. So, the whys are educated out of them,” said Ramirez.
The Girl Scout Research Institute reports 25% of STEM jobs are held by women, but by 2018 Nine out of ten of the fastest growing jobs in the country will require significant training in science and math.