MARCH IS WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH.
AND WHILE WOMEN CONTINUE TO BREAK THE GLASS CEILING IN A
NUMBER OF OCCUPATIONS, THERE'S ONE THAT CONTINUES TO BE AN A
UPHILL BATTLE.
ACCORDING TO THE LATEST RESEARCH BY THE NATIONAL GIRLS
COLLABORATIVE, WOMEN IN THE FIELD OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY,
ENGINEERING AND MATH, OR "STEM" REMAIN SIGNIFICANTLY
UNDERREPRESENTED WITH WITH FEMALE ENGINEERS ACCOUNTING FOR
ONLY 15 PERCENT OF THE WORKFORCE.
BUT OUR NEXT GUESTS ARE HOPING TO CHANGE ALL OF THAT.
HERE TO SHARE MORE IS DR.
YESMIN DARICI, PROFESSOR OF PHYSICS AND
DIRECTOR OF FIU'S CENTER FOR WOMEN'S AND GENDER STUDIES AND
FIU, JR., ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN IN STEM, LADIES, GREAT TO HAVE
BOTH OF YOU WITH US.
THANK YOU.
IT IS GREAT TO BE HERE.
DOCTOR, LET'S DIVE RIGHT IN AND TALK ABOUT THIS ISSUE OF WOMEN
BEING UNDERREPRESENTED IN STEM FIELDS.
YOU ARE A PHYSICS PROFESSOR, WE TALKED ABOUT THIS EARLIER, YOU
SEE A LOT OF YOUNG WOMEN IN YOUR CLASSROOMS.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THEY GO OUT INTO THE WORKFORCE AND WHY ARE
WE NOT SEEING SO MANY PHYSICS, FEMALE PHYSICS PROFESSORS?
WELL, AT FIU WE ARE CHANGING IT.
WERE GRADUATING PH.D.ES, WOMEN PH.D.ES IN PHYSICS.
HIRING FACULTY MEMBERS OR GOVERNMENT JOBS, MAYBE IT IS NOT
TRANSLATING THE HE RATE IT SHOULD TRANSLATE.
SO WHY IS IN HAPPENING?
COULD THIS BE UNCONSCIOUS BIAS?
AGAINST WOMEN?
DO THEY THINK THAT WOMEN WILL NOT BE AS GOOD AS MEN?
OR MAYBE -- A WOMAN DOESN'T -- SO AT FIU WE ARE MAKING SURE,
UNCONSCIOUS BIAS DOES NOT EXIST WHEN WE ARE DOING HIRING OR EVEN
GIVING THE EDGE TO HIRE FACULTY.
WE ALSO MAKING SURE THAT THE ENVIRONMENT IS WOMANED MINORITY
FRIENDLY.
BECAUSE DEMOCRAT GRAPHICALLY, FIU IS THE FUTURE OF UNITED
STATES.
IN 16, 20 YEARS, EVERY UNIVERSITY IN THIS NATION WILL
LOOK JUST LIKE US.
WE HAVE TO BE THE BEST EXAMPLE.
Pam: TULIKA, YOU ARE A PHYSICS MAJOR, WHY DID YOU
CHOOSE PHYSICS AS TO WHAT YOU WANTED TO MAJOR IN, TO STUDY AND
WHAT KIND OF JOBS ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT IN THE FUTURE?
WELL, ACTUALLY, INITIALLY I WAS STUDYING BIOLOGY OUT OF HIGH
SCHOOL, AND MY INTENTION WAS TO.
GOING, INTENTION WAS GOING INTO MEDICINE, BUT THROUGH HIGH
SCHOOL AND A BIT EARLIER I JUST -- I HAD MORE FUN DOING PHYSICS
RELATED THINGS, VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE, THE LECTURES.
THEY ARE A LOT MORE INTERESTING WHEN IT CAME TO APPLYING FOR
COLLEGES I JUST THOUGHT IT WOULD BE NICER TO DO SOMETHING I ENJOY
RATHER THAN GOING FOR THE MONEY.
NECESSARILY.
RIGHT NOW I JUST WANT TO GRADUATE EARLY AND GO ON FOR MY
PH.D. I AM REALLY INTERESTED IN
FINISHING THAT AND MY INTENTIONS ARE TO GO INTO GOVERNMENT
RESEARCH.
Pam: DO YOU THINK YOU POSSIBLY COULD GO INTO ACADEMIA
AS WELL?
I COULD.
THE PART OF ACADEMIA, A LARGE PART OF IT IS ALSO TEACHING AND
HANDLING RESEARCH, SO IF I WERE TO DO ACADEMIA I WOULD WANT TO
EXPAND ON MY TEACHING ABILITIES.
Pam: SO, DOCTOR, LET'S TALK ABOUT THIS CENTER FOR WOMEN'S
AND GENDER STUDIES AT FIU.
TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT ORGANIZATION, WHAT IT DOES.
AND I IMAGINE IT TRIES TO PUT ALL OF THESE THINGS TOGETHER
THAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT, RIGHT?
YES.
WE PROMOTE COMMON INQUIRY, WOMEN STUDIES.
WE OFFER BACHELOR OF ARTS IN WOMANED GENDERS.
WE HAVE CERTIFICATES, ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR ONES IS --
CERTIFICATE.
OUR COURSES PREPARES OUR STUDENTS GLOBALLY AND
NATIONALLY.
WE HAVE LGBTQ CLASSES AND IF, AS I SAID WE HAVE INITIATIVES, IN
WOMEN INITIATIVES, FIU POSITIVE WOMEN INITIATIVE.
GENDER BASED -- INITIATIVE.
SO WE COVER EVERYTHING.
IT IS JUST ALL ABOUT EQUALITY AND HUMAN RIGHTS.
NOT LGBTQ RIGHTS, NOT WOMEN'S RIGHTS, IT IS HUMAN RIGHTS.
THAT IT BOILS DOWN TO.
Pam: RIGHT FOR EVERYONE, YES.
EQUALITY FOR EVERYONE, RIGHTS FOR EVERYONE.
EQUAL PAY FOR EVERYONE.
Pam: IN THE STUDIES THAT YOU, HAVE I WOULD IMAGINE IT IS
PREDOMINANTLY OCCUPIED BY FEMALE STUDENTS, BUT YOU HAVE MALE
STUDENTS AS WELL?
ARE YOU TRYING TO BRING EVERYBODY TOGETHER AND MAYBE
SORT OF HAVE AN EQUAL MIX?
YES, WE HAVE LOTS OF MALE STUDENTS ALSO.
AND IT IS ABOUT GENDER, IT IS ABOUT LGBTQ.
WE HAVE A LARGE LGBTQ STUDENT COMMUNITY AT FIU, AND WE ARE
TRYING TO MEET THEIR NEEDS AND WE ARE MAKING SURE SHE HAVE A
SAFE SPACE.
Pam: THAT IS SO IMPORTANT.
TULIKA YOU ARE PRESIDENT OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE SOCIETY FOR
ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN IN STEM.
YES.
Pam: TALK ABOUT THINGS YOU DO.
I IMAGINE YOU CONTINUE TO SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER?
YES.
MY GOAL FOR THE ORGANIZATION IS TO CONNECT MY MEMBERS TO
RESOURCES OFFERED AT FIU, SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES,
RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES, MENTORS THAT WE CAN FIND AT FIU, AND TO
REALLY CREATE A COMMUNITY WHERE THEY FEEL LIKE THEY ARE
SUPPORTED AND THEY CAN SUPPORT EACH OTHER AS THEY PURSUE THEIR
PASSION.
Pam: WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE SOME OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES
WHEN IT COMES TO WOMEN IN STEM?
YOUNG WOMEN IN STEM?
THE LARGEST CHALLENGE, IN MY OPINION IS REALLY THE
ENVIRONMENT.
OBVIOUSLY WE CAN'T CONTROL THEIR HOME ENVIRONMENT OR THE
ENVIRONMENT OUTSIDE OF FIU, BUT WHILE THEY ARE STUDYING AT FIU,
THEIR CLASSES AND WHAT IT IS LIKE, THEIR SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT
OR GOING OUT FOR LUNCH, HOW DO THEY INTERACT WITH THEIR
FRIENDS?
WE CAN OBVIOUSLY INFLUENCE THAT, IF WE WERE TO CREATE THIS
ENVIRONMENT WHERE THESE GIRLS -- AND SOME OF THE BOYS, SOME OF
THE LGBTQ, ALL OF MY MEMBERS, REALLY, ARE ENCOURAGED IN THEIR
CLASSES, ARE -- REALLY JUST SUPPORTED BY THEIR MENTORS, BY
THE PROFESSORS, AND BY THEIR PEERS.
THAT GIVES THEM THE CONFIDENCE TO CONTINUE ON WITH
THEIR PAST RATHER THAN THINKING IT IS SOMETHING THAT THEY CAN'T
DO.
Pam: YES.
THAT THEY ARE SUPPORTED ALL THE WAY.
LADIES, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE
AND SHEDDING A LIGHT ON THIS.
I REALLY APPRECIATE IT.
IT IS GREAT TO HAVE BOTH OF YOU HERE.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU.
Pam: AND WE WILL HAVE MORE INFORMATION FOR YOU ON FIU'S
STEM PROGRAMS, PLUS MORE, ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE AT
@YOURSOUTHFLORIDA.