AnnMarie Thomas, PhD, spoke with KSTP about the importance of promoting STEM-related subjects to young women and balancing what has been a male-dominated field for years.
Thomas is a professor at the University of St. Thomas in both the Department of Mechanical Engineering in the School of Engineering and the Department of Entrepreneurship in the Opus College of Business.
From the story:
“It’s been that way for a long time. I was the only woman my year in my major 25 years ago,” recalls AnnMarie Thomas, an engineering professor at the University of St. Thomas. “I think we have seen historically that these fields in engineering have been more male-dominated. As much as we want it to change, we haven’t seen it changing on a national level.”
But Thomas says there are efforts underway to get girls at the elementary, middle and high school levels to get them exposed to STEM – and, that potential mentors like Tannhauser are leading the way.
“I loved hearing Mackenzie’s story because it’s an example of how your lived experiences, as a kid, it can shape your future, and shape the career that you pursue,” she says. “This is where diversity in STEM becomes our big issue. We want to have all the voices, all the experiences at the table.”
