BATON ROUGE — Occupations in STEM fields – those in science, technology, engineering and math – are projected to grow by 10 percent in the next five years. Experts estimate Louisiana alone will have 69,000 STEM job vacancies by 2018.
To address the state’s STEM workforce needs, the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI) will host a breakfast panel to discuss the importance of drawing women to STEM fields on Friday, Oct. 24, from 8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. at the LABI Conference Center, located at 3113 Valley Creek Drive in Baton Rouge.
“Today, two-thirds of STEM degrees in Louisiana are earned by men,” said Stephen Waguespack, LABI president. “In fact, only two women in all of Louisiana’s public higher education graduated with a bachelor’s degree in physics in 2012-2013. Addressing the issue must begin in our middle schools where we can work with our kids to keep them interested in math and science.”
The breakfast panel of women to discuss closing the STEM gender gap and how businesses can help will feature a facilitated discussion exploring ideas to move more women into STEM pathways and careers. Sonia Perez, president of AT&T Louisiana, will moderate the discussion, and the panelists will include:
Connie Bradford, BESE At-Large Member
Dr. Gloria Thomas, Executive Director of Research, Education and Mentoring Programs in the Louisiana State University Office of Strategic Initiatives
Czarina Walker, CEO of InfiniEDGE Software
Vidaly Williams, Process Engineer at ExxonMobil
To register for this free event, go to: www.WomenLeadersInSTEM.eventbrite.com