STEMinism: The Documentary

Earlier this spring, I had the opportunity to view a dynamic documentary created by 2 high school seniors: Annie Bennett & Caroline Krall. Their film: STEMinism. It was presented along with 2 other amazing student-created fellowship films that night.

The infancy of Annie & Caroline's film came as a by-product of the Severn School Fellows Program and their senior Fellows project. This is a program that has inspired a decade's worth of students to do a deeper dive about a topic individuals are passionate about. Much like Google's 20% Time or the educational trend of Genius Hour, the purpose is to "expand intellectual curiosity."

STEMinism is a short documentary "about the causes, realities, and effects of the modern divide between men and women in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics." Watching the 36 minute movie, you see the issues women face--not only in the STEM field, but also in the workforce in general.

The women interviewed range from a High School Chemistry Teacher/Department Chair, Founder/Owner of a Tech Company, National Cancer Institute Program Director and former Epidemiology & Biostatistics Professor, Aerospace Engineer, Genetic Toxicology/Cytogenetics expert & current Chief of Intramural Diversity Workforce Branch at National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Health Community & Scientific Programs expert, Program Executive & Space Technologist/Engineer at NASA, retired Astronomer from the United States Naval Academy, and NASA Climate Scientist. It's a pretty impressive and powerful panel of experts!

Watching their video, you are struck by the inequity between genders within the STEM field. You are hit with how stereotypes affect school subjects & stress levels, especially for girls during their education--both historically and even today. You are able to picture "the girl aisle" and "the boy aisle" in your local toystore and the need for gender-neutral toys. You are reminded how the wage gap is still at play. You are also a bit blown away that this was created by two talented women during their senior year of high school!



To learn more:

• Click the link see a photo gallery of inspirational women in STEM from Annie & Caroline's website. 
• Visit Caroline & Annie's STEMinism website where they documented their purpose, process, planning, and end goals. 

"What If..." image from https://www.usd232.org/Page/5376, photos image created with Canva.com using Annie Bennett & Caroline Krall's photos from their "About Us" page from their website: https://severnfellow19krallbennett.weebly.com/about-us.html; Video from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8QH60QKKkE (and also their website)