STEM'de Kadınlar: Güçlü Yarınlar

"<< Background >>The reason we applied for the ""Women in STEM: Strong Tomorrows"" project was to address gender inequality in STEM education and careers. While the percentage of women starting university in Turkey in 2018 was 49%, this ratio drops to 35% in STEM fields (ÖSYM, 2018). The main cause of this disparity is the perception of STEM as a male-dominated field; this creates self-doubt among female students and discourages them from choosing these careers. Socio-psychological factors lie at the root of this issue, diminishing young women's confidence in themselves. Additionally, negative narratives encountered by women working in STEM negatively affect those who are considering entering the field. The lack of female role models makes career development in these areas more challenging. By implementing this project, we aim to break down prejudices, increase awareness of the importance of women in STEM, and encourage young girls to consider these career paths. Our objectives include emphasizing the importance of women's employment in STEM fields, establishing communication networks between students and role models, and re-engaging women who have received STEM education but have continued their careers in other fields.<< Objectives >>By implementing our project, we aimed to achieve the following objectives:Creating Awareness: Increasing the level of societal awareness about the importance of women's employment in STEM fields. Emphasizing the economic and social impacts of women's participation in STEM careers within educational institutions and society at large.Establishing Communication Networks: Creating communication networks between girls interested in STEM fields and women who can serve as role models, ensuring that young people receive support in their career choices.Education and Information: Organizing informational seminars, panels, and workshops for young women who wish to pursue STEM fields, helping them gain knowledge about these areas.Boosting Self-Confidence: Organizing various activities to eliminate the lack of self-confidence among female students in STEM fields, creating mentorship programs, and sharing success stories.Re-engaging Women: Raising awareness among young women who have received STEM education but are continuing their careers in other fields, bringing them back into these areas, and increasing female employment in the STEM sector.<< Implementation >>As part of the ""Women in STEM: Strong Tomorrows"" project, we carried out the following activities:Development of the STEM4GIRLS Mobile Application: A mobile application aimed at empowering girls in the STEM field was developed. This application includes career tests, STEM games, and articles about successful women in STEM, helping users determine suitable career paths and connect with role models.STEMFEST Festival: The Hitit University Science and Technology Festival was organized as an event bringing together women working in STEM with young participants. This international event featured panels, presentations, and workshops, highlighting women's contributions to STEM.Dissemination Activities: To promote the STEM4GIRLS application and draw attention to women's roles in STEM, three one-day seminars were held in Nallıhan, Alaca, and Çankırı. In these seminars, expert talks, discussions, and opportunities for participants to learn about the application were provided.These activities were carried out to increase awareness of women's roles in STEM fields, create communication networks, and encourage young girls to choose STEM careers.<< Results >>The ""Women in STEM: Strong Tomorrows"" project achieved the following concrete outputs and results:STEM4GIRLS Mobile Application: The app features career and aptitude tests to help girls identify suitable STEM professions based on their interests and abilities. It includes STEM games to enhance innovation skills, personalized profiles for networking with professional women in STEM, educational content highlighting the importance of women's participation, and listings of internships and job opportunities.Hitit University Science and Technology Festival: This international event brought together women working in STEM and experts from various countries. It featured conferences and panels that increased participants' knowledge, promoted the STEM4GIRLS app to a wider audience, and provided networking opportunities between participants and professionals.STEM Inspiration Days: One-day seminars were held in Nallıhan, Alaca, and Çankırı. These events engaged engineering and science students, as well as secondary school students and teachers, raised awareness about women's roles in STEM, and promoted the STEM4GIRLS app to a broader audience."