Steve Gill, founder of World Refrigeration Day said: “We are delighted to be working with Alexandra Knight to help launch this great initiative and proud to be a major sponsor for the programme. We will be working with the RACHP industry and STEMAZING to ensure that a significant number of the women on the course come from our industry. This is a wonderful, well-thought through programme of training developed and delivered by a recognised STEM expert. We are excited to help make this available to women from our sector and beyond.'
STEM is the combination of science, technology, engineering and maths. These foundational subjects are generally required to open doors to careers in applied science, technology and engineering which are severely lacking diversity. For example, only 12% of engineers are women.
STEMAZING Inspiration Academy has two objectives: to support women to be more confident with public engagement; and to inspire children with STEM.
Sponsored by World Refrigeration Day, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Brunel University London and Amey Plc, the Inspiration Academy is open to women in STEM and Primary schools to participate for free. All of the sponsors are committed to creating a more diverse and inclusive STEM workforce.
The programme includes training and workshops for women in STEM to build their confidence on camera and their STEM delivery toolbox. These newly empowered role models then deliver a 6-week programme of LIVE online STEM sessions designed to engage children aged 5 - 9 years old.
Schools benefit by taking part in hands-on simple STEM activities and experiments to promote children's curiosity, creativity and courage led by a woman in STEM role model.
“We know one of the main reasons girls do not consider pursuing STEM subjects is a lack of female role models,” said Ms Knight, a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the IMechE, who left her job as a technical director at Amey Strategic Consulting last year to focus on growing STEMAZING and follow her passion of inspiration and inclusion in STEM. Ms Knight is also a Visiting Professor at Brunel University and on the Board of the Women’s Engineering Society as well as a mum of two young children. She has worked to promote STEM to young people and support women in STEM for many years.
In STEMAZING Ms Knight runs a mentoring programme for women in STEM to bring their whole self to work and an online STEM club for children age 5-9 called STEMAZINGKids. The new STEMAZING Inspiration Academy combines elements of these two programmes to scale the reach and impact of STEMAZING.
“It is so important to give young children examples of women in STEM role models early, as we know gender stereotypes are formed way before children reach secondary school and start deciding what subjects they want to pursue. We need to change the stereotype that science, technology, engineering and maths are better suited to boys.”
Ms Knight is passionate about positioning STEM at the heart of society and ensuring everyone appreciates the important role STEM has in our World to solve our current and future Global challenges. “We need more people to choose STEM careers full stop, but desperately need more diversity in these fields. I hope this programme will give more women in STEM the confidence and tools to shine as visible role models and feel empowered to step forward and inspire our future generation of innovators and problem-solvers.”
STEMAZING Inspiration Academy is open to women in STEM and schools to register their interest for participating. The deadline is 26 February 2021. The programme for women in STEM will start on 1st March and the STEM sessions for schools will run in May and June 2021.
For more information and to apply to participate - women in STEM and schools should visit the website page: www.stemazingltd.com/inspiration-academy.