This new year, Science Centre Singapore is shining the spotlight on women and girls in STEM with DiscovHER 2021: Inspiring the NeXXt Generation.
An initiative curated to champion female figures in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), the annual event has been rebranded as it returns for its fourth edition this year, to tie in with the United Nations-declared International Day of Women and Girls in Science on 11 February.
For two weekends on 29 to 31 January and 5 to 7 February, DiscovHER 2021: Inspiring the NeXXt Generation presented a series of on-site and online activities via the Centre’s digital platforms. The activities highlight some of the best and brightest women in STEM, past and present, and designed to inspire young learners to retrace the discovery journey of female innovators and set them on their own course of STEM exploration.
New this year was an exclusive digital webinar on 30 January, featuring a panel of Singapore-based women in STEM, engaging in dialogue on the importance of uplifting female participation and leadership in the industry. The hour-long exchange, which includes a question-and-answer segment for the public, will seek to spark conversations on levelling the playing field for women to take up STEM studies and careers, and uncovering opportunities for women to thrive in the field.
Associate Professor Lim Tit Meng, Chief Executive, Science Centre Board, said, “Empowering girls and women to advance in STEM has always been a priority for us at Science Centre Singapore. While diversity adds to the collective intelligence and empathy of any trade, gender gaps still exist for various reasons. Key to eradicating social biases, elevating self-confidence and effecting sector affinity is to start seeding gender-equal messages among both girls and boys during their formative years. That is what we seek to achieve with DiscovHER, and we urge parents and educators to join us in putting a crack in the proverbial glass ceiling through positive reinforcement. We hope to encourage more girls like Gitanjali Rao, a 15-year-old scientist and inventor, who became the TIME magazine’s first-ever “Kid of the Year” in 2020. Her youthful passion was readily observed in her use of technology to tackle issues ranging from contaminated drinking water to opioid addiction and cyberbullying.
For more information on DiscovHER 2021: Inspiring the NeXXt Generation, visit: https://www.science.edu.sg/whats-on/workshops-activities/DiscovHER.
