Madison Shumway

Staff Writer

When Christina Mottishaw heard about a STEM Mentoring Cafe for women exploring science careers, she jumped on the opportunity.

Area STEM professionals from the Idaho National Laboratory would share their experiences at the sandwich lunch, and the biochemistry student knew she’d receive helpful insight into her future career.

Once Mottishaw shared a room with the group of highly educated and accomplished women, she repeatedly raised her hand, asking about obstacles and resources they had encountered.

“I got a new perspective about the struggles I will inevitably face being in STEM, but I also learned about the community of support that’s available to me,” she said of the experience. “I always enjoy hearing how scientists and engineers accomplished what they did and learning about how I could handle my future, too.”

Such was the goal of the Mentoring Cafe: to inform female students considering careers in science, technology, engineering and math that they had advocates and allies to which they could turn for advice and support.

The event, part of a broader movement by INL, ISU and other organizations to encourage women to pursue STEM careers, aimed to address a gender gap in the field.

Women make up only 26 percent of STEM workers, according to Million Women Mentors, a resource cafe organizers referenced in materials handed out to attendees. Numbers are improving, and so is the environment women in STEM face, said the INL professionals, but both progress slowly.

Mentors who can share advice and provide a positive example help young women interested in STEM build their careers and shrink the gender gap, said event organizer Sonia Martinez.

“We want to be able to create a network and a supportive environment,” said Martinez, who works as ISU’s Diversity and Outreach Coordinator. “We want to provide a bridge of college to career.”

The network created at the STEM Mentoring Cafe included female chemists, researchers, economists, business managers, engineers and mathematicians.

Featured were University Partnerships director Michelle Bingham, Process Science and Technology director Anne Gaffney and chemistry research scientist Rebecca Fushimi, all from INL.

The professionals spoke of their journeys to INL, which involved years of schooling and challenges unique to women in STEM.

Balancing work life with family and confronting gendered misconceptions in a male-dominated field were a few of the roadblocks they mentioned.

Mentors aid in overcoming those obstacles, Fushimi said. A support system can provide both role models to emulate and loved ones who encourage women to achieve their professional goals.

She also voiced a concern that women are often too critical of themselves and do not allow themselves to struggle.

“You don’t have to know everything,” Fushimi said. “It’s a process … The people you see in the lofty rafters didn’t always know everything, and you’ll get there eventually.”

A male student then asked for advice in supporting and advocating women in STEM.

Professionals in the room suggested that all people be aware of how their words affect their coworkers and speak up when a peer has a good idea.

Gaffney, who has over 150 U.S. patents, numerous awards and three decades of industrial chemistry experience under her belt, and Bingham, who works with young students to encourage STEM careers, both emphasized the power of hard work and determination.

Citing tough years of being the only woman in a room, Gaffney advised female students to study and stick to their guns. Bingham suggested a similar approach.

“Be very persistent in your goals, and don’t take no for an answer,” she said. “Look for other ways of solving a problem. You might think a door is shut, but if you look, you might find the key solution.”