Women in STEM: Library Celebrates Women’s History Month

As part of the 2021 Women’s History Celebration, the Library organized a Pod-Talk in collaboration with the Math Club and faculty in the Mathematical Sciences Department. 

Dr. Eliana Antoniou (L) and Dr. Christina Mouser (R)

 As part of the 2021 Women’s History Celebration, the Library organized a Pod-Talk in collaboration with the Math Club and faculty in the Mathematical Sciences Department. Pod-Talks were launched in the fall of 2020 as an additional program option offered to students for civic engagement credit. Participants listen to a selected podcast on a chosen topic then meet for a guided discussion. The episode that was selected for this Women’s History Month event is from the Profess-Hers podcast series titled, “Math Class.” The episode featured a discussion on several notable women like Grace Hopper and Katherine Johnson, who made significant contributions in STEM fields but are often overlooked in the history books.

The Math Club co-sponsored the event with President Anna Sand  and member Robert Graham who arranged for two faculty members, Dr. Eliana Antoniou and Dr. Christina Mouser, from the Mathematical Sciences Department to help guide the discussion. Dr. Antoniou and Dr. Mouser enthralled the student attendees with their personal experiences and successes as women in STEM fields, and an engaging discussion about the prominent women noted in the podcast. After the event Dr. Antoniou noted that many of the attendees were, “astonished with the stories shared in the podcast about the notable women in STEM fields.” Many students expressed how they could relate to the professors’ (Dr. Antoniou & Dr. Mouser) backgrounds and how inspiring it was to learn about their career paths.  During the discussion, both professors shared their unique journeys within their chosen fields and reflected on common experiences as women in a mostly male-dominated field.  Dr. Mouser was especially thrilled to have the opportunity to share her personal journey with students.  She commented, “It’s so important for students to see a strong female presence in the math fields to reinforce that women are equally inclined to excel in math and STEM careers.”

The event was well-received as reflected in student feedback and serves as one of the most well attended events in our Pod-Talk series.  One student noted that the selected podcast, “was a great topic to highlight the importance of equal opportunities.”  Having two faculty members with such a close relationship to the topic participate and lead the discussions made the event a memorable experience for students.

In the end Dr. Antoniou commented that the event was “an excellent idea and it [podcast] kept everyone engaged and interested. It truly was an amazing experience.”

October 06, 2021