Mae Jemison found science (and space) and is encouraging Detroit girls to do so, too

It’s a huge issue across our state, one hampering companies — big and small — as the search for trained workers for tech jobs gets more intense.

At last count, the state reported more than 100,000 unfilled job openings — many revolving around STEM careers: science, technology, engineering and math. 

The situation is even more grim when it comes to finding women for these jobs.

Compounding the problem is an outdated image some have of things like advanced manufacturing. Getting the message out about growing opportunities is key.

“That’s important for our young people, but also vitally important for Michigan as a whole so we can continue growing economically,” said Roger Curtis, director of the Department of Talent and Economic Development.

To help raise awareness about opportunities, organizations like Inforum and Bosch Community Foundation are stepping up with new programs unveiled this week to expose more girls and boys to STEM careers.

Inforum launched its mentoring program called inSTEM, which is aimed at encouraging more women to serve as mentors to young girls.

The inSTEM initiative hopes to develop a pipeline of girls and women who are interested in and qualified for careers in STEM fields as well as the automotive industry. The program will provide role models and mentors for existing K-12 STEM programs and establish a database of women who can serve in those roles and support or enhance programs already in place for girls and women from K-16.

Terry Barclay, president and CEO of Inforum, said Inforum came up with the idea after surveying firms about their workplace needs.

At the top of the list — finding qualified workers for growing IT (information technology), computer programming, and STEM jobs.

“What we are doing is supplementing it as we ask our 2,000 members — 80% who work in tech related fields — to consider volunteering and mentoring a girl,” she said.

To kick off their program, Inforum brought in Dr. Mae Jemison — the first African-American female astronaut in space, to speak at Inforum's 55th annual luncheon Thursday in Dearborn.

Jemison is a scientist, doctor and was a crew member on Space Shuttle Endeavor. She served as a NASA astronaut for six years and is founder of The Jemison Group, , a technology consulting firm, as well as The Earth We Share, an international science camp for students.

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Jemison met with 100 Detroit school girls beforehand and spoke about science and math and how important they were.

“Mae Jemison is the ultimate STEM role model,” Barclay said. “We want these kids to look at Mae Jemison and say, 'I can do that; I can be that!' We also want them to meet some of the brilliant, accomplished STEM professional women right here in Michigan and feel the same thing. “

Jemison talked about her love of math and science and how fortunate she was to have parents who supported her.

She said how watching “Star Trek” — the 1960s TV show — encouraged her to dream about going in to space.

And Jemison told how women were tested as potential astronauts in the 1960s and were considered better suited for space travel but the idea was nixed by Vice President Lyndon Johnson in 1962.

Ironically, when NASA later wanted to recruit women, actress Nichelle Nichols, who played Lt. Uhura in “Star Trek,” offered to use her "seat at the table" to recruit 100 women qualified to be astronauts. Her voice was used in NASA recruitment ads for years.

Barclay is hoping other women in Michigan heed the call to get involved by mentoring girls about STEM opportunities.

“There are women in this community just waiting to make that difference,” Barclay said. “Inforum will make their investment of time count through our partnerships with great STEM programs in our community.”

How Bosch is helping

Bosch Community Fund added more octane to STEM training efforts as it awarded $250,000 to University of Michigan’s School of Education and Center for Education, Design, Evaluation & Research for development and execution of STEM-focused grant programs for teachers across the nation.

The program will fund hands-on learning projects and connect teachers to other educators. The partnership aims to alleviate some obstacles for teachers and provide inspiration for exceptional learning experiences.

“The Bosch Community Fund and the University of Michigan hope to encourage interest and increase aptitude in STEM education, particularly among girls and students of all backgrounds, with an emphasis on environment and energy topics which we view as an which we view as an important investment in our future leaders,” said Kathleen Bushnell Owsley, executive director of the Bosch fund.

Added Maximiliane Straub, CFO and executive vice president in charge of finance, controlling and administration for Robert Bosch LLC: “We also recognize the financial and creative challenges teachers face when developing programs for their students. That is why we are dedicated to efficacy initiatives — to work directly with communities and educators in the pursuit of higher learning.”

The hope is that these two programs, along with scores of others under way at schools, colleges, organizations and companies across Michigan, will help chip away at the STEM shortage and make it a thing of the past.

Carol Cain can be reached at 313-222-6732 or clcain@cbs.com. She is senior producer/host of “Michigan Matters,” which airs at 11:30 a.m. Sundays on CBS 62. See L. Brooks Patterson, Sen. Coleman Young II, Denise Ilitch and Rod Alberts on today’s show.

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