STEM Education for Women and Girls: Intel Foundation's Wendy Hawkins BACK

Published by AFAR

Wendy Hawkins serves as executive director at the Intel Foundation, which is committed to improving math, science, technology and engineering education worldwide. Wendy oversees Intel Foundation's wide program of grants, many of which focus on increasing opportunities for girls, women, and under-represented minorities in STEM education. She is also responsible for the Intel Science Talent Search - the most prestigious high school science competition in the US, Intel International Science & Engineering Fair - the largest and most admired competition of its type in the world.

Tell us about the goals of the Intel Foundation.
The Intel Foundation works to fuel innovation in classrooms - through effective use of technology and focusing on the fields of math, science, engineering & mathematics; to empower women and underserved youth, and to enable Intel employees to serve the needs of their communities. The goals of the Intel Foundation are to increase interest in math and science education, and to help develop a future workforce that represents the diversity around the world. While support for women & girls has been a primary focus for the Intel Foundation since its founding in 1989, we are currently looking at ways in which we can take that interest to new levels of impact, empowering girls through education and women through opportunities for economic empowerment.

One of Intel's initiatives is to transform the lives of women and girls by introducing math and science to them at any early age. Will Intel continue to help these girls and guide them towards enrolling in the sciences at a university or learning institution? If so, how do you envision doing so?
Intel has a long-standing history of working with girls and young women at all ages and stages of their development from kindergarten through university, through both formal and informal education, and increasingly is working with adult women as well. This may take the form of robotics programs and coaching, mentoring, science competitions, teacher professional development, and more.

Does Intel sponsor any programs for young girls that are specifically tailored towards pursuing a career in medicine?
Many young women who participate in - and win! - the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair and Intel Science Talent Search are indeed doing medical research.

Intel has inspired teachers to embrace math so they can pass on their enthusiasm to their students, and has planned project competitions for young contestants to share their knowledge. What other educational initiatives does Intel have in the works to encourage young female students to actively pursue learning math and science on their own?
Intel supports robotics competitions at a number of our US sites, with special teams for girls a frequent feature. Our Intel Computer Clubhouse Network sponsors 'girls only' days, programs and events, to encourage young women. Intel provides mentors and encouragement to young women interested in science & engineering through a number of programs and scholarship opportunities. In a partnership with the Semiconductor Research Corporation, Intel supports opportunities for young women to participate in research as undergraduates, thus encouraging them to pursue graduate studies in engineering and the sciences. There are many more local, national and global efforts to support and encourage girls and women.

From your experience working with these initiatives, what piece of advice would you give to a young girl interested in pursuing a career in science and technology today?
Education and experience in science & math are valuable to girls and young women whether they aspire to be an engineer, a doctor, a science teacher or a dancer. The ability to understand the world scientifically gives one the ability to make better decisions as a consumer, as a voter, as a parent, and regarding one's own health and life. Education in engineering and science helps us to make good decisions and to be good leaders. And most exciting of all, knowledge of science & engineering allows us to change and shape the world, helping to create a better life not only for ourselves and our families, but for our communities, and for the world at large. Whether you care about protecting our planet, feeding the world, curing intractable illnesses, or designing and creating new, beautiful, and useful products, science and engineering will put the tools in your hands to do so. You become an agent of change, not a victim of it.

 

For more information on the Intel Foundation and its programs, visit their website here.