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Why is the WinSPIRE Summer Research Program so important?
Over the last several decades, great strides have been made to increase the number of people who identify as historically marginalized genders in STEM and other minority backgrounds in STEM careers. However, there remains a large gap between the number of young people from minority groups who express interest in STEM in high school and the number who actually enter the STEM workforce.
Image adapted from http://web.mit.edu/wi/home2.shtml
Research suggests that the so-called "STEM pipeline" is especially leaky for these young people because of several interrelated factors, including stereotype threat and a lack of peers, mentors, and role models from similar backgrounds in STEM fields (particularly those outside the biological sciences). Fortunately, research also shows that there are several ways we can help mitigate the self-removal of these young people and other underrepresented groups from STEM, some of the most effective of which involve providing mentorship from people from similar backgrounds as well as hands-on learning opportunities in STEM. Mentors help the WinSPIRE program do just that.
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WinSPIRE mentors are life-changing volunteers that help mitigate the self-removal of young gender minority students from STEM by providing them with:
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Exciting hands-on learning experiences in STEM both inside and outside the lab
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Exposure to woman-identifying and non-binary role models in STEM and various STEM career paths, and
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Encouragement & chances to improve their self-efficacy in STEM
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If you are interested in working with local high school students who are interested in STEM but may lack the confidence or resources to pursue a career in STEM, consider applying to become a member of the WinSPIRE Organization or a WinSPIRE summer program volunteer or research mentor.
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