Dr. Mae Jemison promotes STEM for women's history month

General Interest, Winter 2015

Dr. Mae Jemison promotes STEM for women’s history month

April 1, 2015

By Stephanie Choporis

Chicago girls were encouraged Thursday to seek opportunities in science and technology during ComEd’s signature event for women’s history month at the Museum of Science and Industry.

A view of the expected 500 guests as they await Dr. Mae Jemison to speak about women in science fields at ComEd’s women’s history month event. (Stephanie Choporis/Medill)

Last year, thirty girls turned recycled refrigerators into electric cars and raced them outside of the Field Museum. Team #SonicDoom took home the trophy. (Stephanie Choporis/Medill)

The Icebox Derby’s winning car, #SonicDoom, was created by a team of Chicago teenage girls. “It was a really cool opportunity because we got to be in a race,” said team member, Laila Kassar, 16. (Stephanie Choporis/Medill)

Participants in the inaugural Icebox Derby signed the winning race car. In her speech, Dr. Mae Jemison said women and underrepresented minorities often encounter gender and color biases when pursuing science interests. (Stephanie Choporis/Medill)

Approximately 500 people were expected to attend the event with a theme of “Let’s spark a change.” In the next few years, ComEd CEO and president, Anne Pramaggiore, said fields in science, technology, engineering and math, also known as STEM, should increase at a rate of nearly 20 percent.

“When people think about why do we need diversity in these areas, it’s because it’s important,” said Dr. Mae Jemison, who was the first black woman to travel in space and the event’s key note speaker, during her speech.

Photo at top: “Nobody else empowers you. You have to first of all believe that you have something important to say. Right? Then you have to risk saying it. And then you have to risk enacting it,” Dr. Mae Jemison said as she addressed the crowd during ComEd’s women’s history month event. (Stephanie Choporis/Medill)