DuBOIS, Pa. — Penn State DuBois' annual panel on Women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) was held last week by the Career Services office. The event provided valuable insight into the challenges faced by women in STEM fields by sharing their personal experiences.

Kate Riordan, career development counselor at Penn State DuBois, facilitated the conversation. This year’s distinguished panelists included:

• Cecile Stelter, district forester, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
• Cathy Kuntz, proprietor, Big K Logistics
• Amanda Butler, systems administrator II, Redapt Inc., and adjunct lecturer of information sciences and technology, Penn State DuBois
• Francelys Medina, assistant teaching professor of chemistry, Penn State DuBois
• Prashanti Iyer, assistant teaching professor of chemistry and biology, Penn State DuBois
• Heather Parizek, assistant teaching professor of mathematics and geoscience, Penn State DuBois

As women in traditionally male dominated fields, each panelist shared experiences where they felt they were not heard in their workplaces, as well as strategies they utilized to successfully navigate their individual situations. Examples of their struggles included being dismissed as emotional and ideas not heard when presented but accepted when presented by a male colleague.

Parizek counters many of these issues by surrounding herself with a positive team of people who are advocates and supportive of each other. Kuntz successfully maneuvers role incredulity with humor to educate the person without challenging them.

Stetler credits the many women in STEM and girls in STEM programs that have been established in recent years that have encouraged women to get involved in these fields. Butler and Parizek both took advantage of these programs during their educational journeys and were excited to be sharing their knowledge with the Penn State DuBois community.

“Women are taught to be polite and wait to be asked, so involvement can be limited. My colleagues didn’t think I was interested and weren’t asking me. I quickly learned to put my hand up and volunteer for projects,” said Stetler.

In addition to discussing strategies for handling micro aggressions in the workplace, the panelists shared solid career advice, which included negotiating salary and benefits, asking good questions during interviews, and how having a growth mindset will set candidates apart from their competition.