Scientific Adventures for Girls invited to White House STEM events highlighting diversity in STEM

SAfG Contributes to National Strategy on Equity and Diversity in STEM

Scientific Adventures for Girls (SAfG) was honored to participate in two prominent STEM events hosted by the White House and the Department of Education, emphasizing the importance of diversity and inclusion in STEM fields.

First, SAfG was invited to attend the “Summit on STEMM Equity and Excellence: Propelling Progress and Prosperity by 2050” held on May 1, which launched the first ever National Strategy to promote equity in STEM. The Strategy, created over the last year and a half with input nationally from STEM organizations, was just released. The initiative, launched in December 2022, was created to help transform the STEMM ecosystem by advancing equity for people who have been historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by poverty and inequality. There are five pillars to the strategy: Groundwork for Collaborative Action, Nurturing Curiosity in Every Child, Developing skilled and diverse educators, Creating opportunity for all higher education, Leveraging diverse minds in R&D, Ensuring all workers thrive.  Particularly important to SAfG, and one recommendation SAfG put forward in our feedback to include in the strategy was around pillar #2. Engagement - Nurturing Curiosity in Every Child. The second of two goals under this pillar is to Provide children and families with equitable access to high quality STEM learning experiences, including informal and technology-enable settings. One of the three key metrics being, All Title 1 schools have access to afterschool STEM experiences by 2025.

Additionally, SAfG was invited to participate in the “Raise the Bar: STEM Excellence for All Students: You Belong in STEM” initiative at the White House Executive offices, in Washington DC on April 12. This initiative, spearheaded by the U.S. Department of Education and the Biden-Harris Administration, aims to strengthen STEM education nationwide by ensuring all students excel in rigorous and relevant STEM learning, supporting STEM educators, and strategically investing in STEM education.

“SAfG was honored to be chosen to participate in these two important events highlighting the importance of diversity in STEM. It is powerful to see many other national organizations and entities working towards the same goal SAfG has been working towards for the last 10 years to engage and empower girls, especially girls of color, to be a part of the next generation of STEM professionals. It takes collaboration and partnerships to reach these goals - through STEM organizations, government, industry, Higher Ed and more.” Courtenay Carr Heuer, Executive Director and Co-Founder, SAfG

As SAfG approaches its 10th anniversary of promoting BIPOC representation in STEM, we are intensifying our efforts to advocate for increased programming and support for BIPOC girls in STEM nationwide. SAfG remains committed to reshaping the national narrative surrounding diversity in STEM and actively works to dismantle systemic barriers that hinder inclusivity in STEM fields. In addition to our participation in national events, we continue to engage in conferences, trainings, and panel discussions to share insights and best practices for promoting diversity and inclusion in STEM education.

If you would like to work or partner with SAfG, please email Courtenay at ccarr@scientifiadventures.org