For Gloucester High Freshman Ella O’Maley, her love for sea life means marine biology is her calling. But as a woman in a STEM field, she realizes she might face more obstacles to being a scientest than most men.
Luckily, the STEM club Ella joined at Gloucester High might help her clear some of these obstacles. Through her Biology teacher Mr. Leigh, she learned about the Gender Equity in STEM Club, a group that has introduced her to various career and networking opportunities. For Ella, the STEM Club illuminates a path to her dream of becoming a marine biologist–while feeling empowered as a woman in a science field.
“There’s definitely a stereotype that men are more common in science careers than women,” said O’Malley. “Having this club encourages women at such a young age to explore more sciences, and to change that stereotype.”
Beginning as a fusion of the Gender Equity Club and STEM club at Gloucester High, this group is funded by Applied Materials and the Gloucester Education Foundation. Its advisors are former bio-researcher Roseanne Vidal and GHS science teacher Eric Leigh.
While the club hopes to promote careers in STEM fields for women specifically, all genders are welcome.
“The goal of the club is to expose students to careers that are out there that they probably don’t know about,” Vidal said. “We highlight women because they are traditionally underrepresented in the STEM fields.”
In an age of innovation, pursuing a STEM career is becoming increasingly more common.
American universities reported that out of all their students, those who are majoring in science, technology, engineering, or math fields grew from 18 to 21 percent between 2015 and 2022, and employment in these professions is expected to grow 7% over the next decade.
But even as STEM careers are growing, society still strays away from scientific facts, said Leigh.
“Every day we see more and more of an assault on science and more and more of just opinions. It’s really important to let every student know that they have the ability to pursue a career in science that can help solve real-world problems.”
He hopes that the Gender Equity in STEM club will show students careers that help them make a difference.
But in order to use science to make an impact, said Leigh, it’s important that all perspectives are represented.
“It’s really important to have very divergent views, including those that may have been unrepresented over the years in science,” he said. “Women particularly can provide a unique perspective when they bring their life experiences into their decisions and the way they approach problems.”
Members of Gender Equity in STEM don’t have to be obsessed with science. Students who like field trips and being with friends can find enjoyment too.
Club member Amber Murphy isn’t even sure if she wants to go into a STEM career. “I joined because honestly, a lot of my friends were joining,” Murphy said. “And, it seemed like a cool opportunity to learn more about science and get more attuned in the community.”
The club takes field trips almost every month where students can learn about various STEM fields. They’ve traveled to the Aquarium to learn about marine biology, visited a forensic geology class at Salem State, toured the mechanical facilities at Applied Materials, and even toured Harvard to learn about its STEM programs.
Being interested in Marine Biology, O’Maley’s favorite out of these trips was learning about water drones at Maritime Gloucester, a local science research center and aquarium. “It was really interesting to learn more about the animal sounds they had learned from the drones,” she said.
These trips have also opened students’ eyes to professional STEM opportunities they hadn’t thought of. Because O’Maley is interested in Maritime Gloucester, advisor Roseann Vidal has shown her possible summer internships there where she can explore her passions.
“You have a lot of opportunities when you join the club, and there’s a lot of connections you can make through the teachers,” junior STEM club member Madison Jewell said.
For Leigh, the best part of advising the club is seeing students take advantage of chances to learn. ”My favorite part is when I see a student ask a question or just get so excited about one thing that you almost see a light go on in their head,” he said. Leigh says people should join the club “To explore, and to broaden their horizons–and to maybe find a part of themselves that they didn’t know existed.”
