Before, during, and after COP26, Northumbria University will highlight its climate change research. NUSTEM, a team that works directly with schools and parents to encourage young people and underrepresented groups to seek a career in STEM-related areas, is featured in today’s blog post.
Everyone has a role to play in combating climate change because it is one of the most serious issues of our day. We need more people in science- and innovation-based occupations but there are currently not enough people in these fields. Because science and innovation have the potential to unleash solutions to climate change, this is a critical issue.
To better understand why so many people, particularly women and girls, aren’t pursuing professions in STEM fields, Northumbria University is doing critical study.
Additionally, the University is taking steps to expand children’s professional aspirations, and to combat cultural prejudices and unconscious biases that are prompting girls to reject occupations traditionally thought more acceptable for men.
Some of this work is being led by Northumbria University’s Carol Davenport, an associate professor and the director of NUSTEM. We encourage young people to consider a career in STEM by working with them, their families, and teachers.
To deal with concerns like climate change, we need a wide and diversified workforce,” she remarked. Women, in particular, are underrepresented in STEM fields currently. Solving real-world issues, such as climate change, might be aided by research into these topics.
It’s a problem that females (and their families) often don’t consider STEM as a realistic career option. ” Despite the fact that past studies show that children are interested in these topics, many of them have preconceived notions about scientists. Girls typically don’t perceive themselves as having a future or a career in these fields since they associate white coats with male geniuses. While the normal stereotypes may scare some young people away from pursuing a career in science or engineering, it is more likely that they will see this scientist or STEM professional as someone they may strive to be.
When it comes to what they should and should not do, Carol believes that females are influenced by societal expectations.
According to her, “It’s not just about encouraging more girls to study and pursue careers in STEM fields; this approach has been tried in the past and has been largely ineffective. We need a more holistic approach.”
What society expects of them, we need to tilt the needle so we work with kids, instructors, parents and employers to uncover unconscious prejudices and preconceptions that might be holding these females back.
Do we use masculine pronouns if we’re describing real-world working procedures used by scientists? Whether or not our classroom resources represent men in scientific occupations and women in caring or teaching positions is a question worth asking.
Instead, NUSTEM has collaborated with educators and STEM professionals to establish a set of 16 STEM qualities – or employability abilities – that are frequently displayed by those in the field of STEM careers.
Attributes such as resilience and creativity may already exist in children, says Carol. Children’s self-image of themselves and their concept of scientists and those who work in STEM can be bridged by focusing on the importance of STEM education in promoting young people’s self-confidence and encouraging them to perceive themselves as capable of working in the field. “Then the scientists, engineers, and innovators will have a much better chance of delivering solutions to real-world problems, such as climate change.”
NUSTEM’s research has created the groundwork for a number of environmental workshops with schools. An environmental science and geography workshop series called “Geography: Past, Present, and Future” was held at a local elementary school. Northumbria University’s Cold and Palaeo-Environment (CAPE) research group was the driving force behind this project
Academics urged students to think about how environmental science may be utilized to learn about the past, present, and future state of the ecosystem.
When students participated in a session on environmental modeling, they learned about scientific models and how data can be used to anticipate the future. Environmental science themes and jobs, as well as the ability to take action against climate change were the goals of the program.
A number of positive outcomes can be attributed to the project. Climate change knowledge grew by 27% among girls, who indicated an increase in their grasp of environmental science themes as a whole. Increased interest in learning about climate change, as well as a more positive view of environmental science-related occupations, was seen among children.
Environmental modeling and planning came up in conversation, according to Carol. Understanding this topic could be a useful weapon in the battle against climate change. Environmental modeling is one of the numerous STEM job paths available, and it includes a wide range of STEM disciplines, such as mathematics and engineering. In the current state of affairs, few youngsters, especially girls, are taking advantage of this choice, but we intend to change this by leveraging our study and engaging with schools, parents, and employers.”
