STEMinist
News & updates for young women interested in STEM

Imagine. Invent. Inspire.
Hey there, 👋

With fall in full swing and the holiday season approaching, don't forget to take a moment and check out the latest in upcoming STEM events and news. If you're feeling slumped with school getting busy and the weather getting colder, there's inspiration in the content below (including scholarship ideas) and our upcoming events!
Upcoming events you won't want to miss:
Artificial intelligence, democracy, and racial bias are all center stage in the film CODED BIAS. 👩‍💻 This film explores the fallout of MIT Media Lab researcher Joy Buolamwini’s startling discovery that facial recognition does not see dark-skinned faces accurately, and her journey to push for the first-ever legislation in the U.S. to govern against bias in the algorithms that impact us all. Register below by November 12th!
Join us to hear directly from Mario Longoni and Ylanda Wilhite from the Field Museum! Ylanda will discuss her career path and Mario will lead a discussion around climate change where participants will have an opportunity to have personal discussions about their own neighborhoods and experiences with climate issues. 🌎Register below by November 9th!
Join our Student Mentors to create your own generator and learn a little of the science behind nuclear energy! ⚛️ We'll send you the materials you'll need to create your own generator. Register below by November 27th!
Meet ComEd Senior Engineer, Sainab Taiwo Ninalowo! ⚙️
Sainab Taiwo Ninalowo, best known as Taiwo, is an experienced Senior Engineer at ComEd, Exelon's operating company in northern Illinois. In her role, she makes sure the electric grid is running smoothly for the customers ComEd serves. A smart grid is an electric system enhanced with innovative digital technologies like smart substations, smart switches, and smart meters that detect problems on the electric grid. Smart grids help customers experience improved reliability, better service, and greater control over their electricity use. 💡 Taiwo enjoys being able to use her technical expertise to solve any problems and navigate through any task that she’s given, and she loves that her job allows her to think on her own and create her own ideas while still making sure that operations are running smoothly to ensure customer satisfaction.

A role like Taiwo's requires a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, and to work in an energy utility like ComEd, preferably a specialization in electrical engineering. Taiwo also shares that in order to thrive and succeed in her role you also will need to cultivate a learning mindset, be willing to fail forward, and always keep an open mind!
Could there be life on our next door neighbor, Venus?
An image of Venus, made with data recorded by Japan’s Akatsuki spacecraft in 2016. So close, so similar and very mysterious, the planet is surprising scientists with a chemical signature spotted in its clouds.
Source: PLANET-C Project Team/JAXA
Scientists have long overlooked Venus in the search for extraterrestrial life, but now there has been detection of a gas in the planet’s atmosphere that might indicate life. If the discovery is confirmed by additional telescope observations and future space missions, it could turn the gaze of scientists toward Venus as a possible habitat for something living. Venus roasts at temperatures of hundreds of degrees and is cloaked by clouds that contain droplets of corrosive sulfuric acid, making scientists look elsewhere for life. But with new discoveries on the horizon, more funding and exploration projects are now geared towards Venus. 🚀🔭 Learn more about the second brightest object in the sky from NASA here.
It's college application and scholarship season! Check out these scholarships:
The Coolidge Scholarship is an annually awarded full-ride scholarship that covers a student’s tuition, room, board, and expenses for four years of undergraduate study. This one-of-a-kind scholarship may be used at any accredited college or university in the U.S.! Students apply for the Coolidge Scholarship during their junior year of high school.
SWE Scholarships support those who identify as a female/woman and are pursuing a bachelor or graduate student program in preparation for careers in engineering, engineering technology and computer science in the United States. In 2019, SWE disbursed nearly 260 new and renewed scholarships valued at more than $810,000!
The Science Ambassador Scholarship is a full–tuition scholarship for a woman in science, technology, engineering, or math funded by Cards Against Humanity. Applicants film a three minute video of themselves explaining a STEM topic they're passionate about. You must be a high school senior or an undergraduate college student to apply.
But wait! There's more fun upcoming STEM events!
Join the Berkley Lab for themed career talks every other Friday of the month to learn about the wide diversity of STEM professions. 👩‍🔬 In each session, participants will be joined by Berkeley Lab staff, Bay Area professionals, and other guest experts to talk about their careers and how they got there. Topics covered include cybersecurity and privacy, exploring the world of research, and how some scientists use their artistic skills to succeed in STEM. Be sure to register for these upcoming events!
The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon is offering virtual webinars for students interested in energy topics. Join the upcoming hands-on energy workshop, designed to help you understand how energy is used in your home, find ways to reduce energy waste, and understand renewable energy usage in homes. 🏡 You can also join the future of solar and take a tour of the DOE's coolest research projects including farming under solar panels, super powered concentrating solar technology, and community solar developments.
Exelon and our operating companies are sharing fun updates on social media! Be sure to keep in touch and follow us:

Exelon Foundation STEM Innovation Leadership Academy www.exelonstemacademy.org