Women in STEM

PRES

STUDENTS LEAD THE WAY FOR WOMEN IN STEM

Rithu Paramesh ‘20 and Ria Nawathe ‘20 are paving the way and inspiring the community with their efforts in STEM. Rithu was actively involved in robotics, science, and clubs, and Ria has been working diligently on a science project throughout her high school years that won several awards.

According to the Education Commission, between 2017 and 2027, the number of STEM jobs will grow 13%, compared to 9% for non-STEM jobs—with positions in computing, engineering, and advanced manufacturing leading the way. This is good news for Pres students who continue to excel in these fields, and are ready to take their seat at the table.

“Pres has allowed me to grow as a person, building my confidence and giving me boundless opportunities to explore any field I wanted. I have been able to grow my skills in engineering and design through our robotics program, which has taught me how to code, how to construct electrical systems, how to design and operate control systems overall,

Rithu Paramesh '20

Ria Nawathe '20

and how to lead technical groups. I have been fortunate enough to grow both my technical and management skills, which also sparked my interest in STEM,” Rithu said.

In the summer of 2019, Rithu attended Garcia Summer Scholars; a program hosted by Stony Brook University in New York. The goal of the Garcia pre-college program is to convey to young students and their teachers the excitement of polymer materials research, to suggest possible career options, and to provide the opportunity to use polymer science to enhance the regular science teaching curriculum. Rithu got to perform research on the forefront of polymer science and technology with the Garcia faculty and staff.

“It was an amazing experience,” Rithu said. “They taught us proper lab procedures, had us write a lab report, and gave us lectures on cutting-edge research in a variety of fields that we could choose to work on.”

Rithu’s project was to use polymer gels, engineered to fill the aneurysm and promote healing. Rithu’s group tested using a silicone model of a real aneurysm and held the aneurysm under pulsatile flow to stimulate blood flow. The students were able to work with the university hospital to test and collect data, as well as make adjustments and goals for the project at hand.

Concluding their research, Rithu’s team was selected to present at the 2019 Materials Research Society Fall Meeting and Exhibit (an international conference of the latest research in materials

research). They presented their work to industry professionals and university researchers.

Ria Nawathe is a recent Presentation graduate who has been working hard on science research. “What has inspired my interest in STEM is its far-reaching ability to improve quality of life,” said Ria. Ria, her sister Tanaya (also a Pres alumna), and Keshav (another student from Homestead High School), conducted research to investigate the link between oxidative phosphorylation, a metabolic process, and microgravityinduced atrophy. The implications of this research extend from developing therapies that prevent astronaut muscle loss in space to aiding muscular dystrophy patients on Earth.

This project was submitted through various competitions and was awarded for the following: • Winner of NASA GeneLab for High Schools Research Competition • 1st Place, American Society for Gravitational and Space Research International Conference Poster Competition • Honorable Mention Award in Regulated Research Institution Category, Synopsys Science Fair

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 93 out of 100 STEM occupations had wages above the national average and California added nearly 161,000 STEM jobs since 2009.

“Growing up in the Bay Area has definitely helped spark my interest in STEM, as well as having parents who both work in the tech industry,” Rithu said. “I’ve always been an engineering girl.”

Both students expressed how STEM requires innovation, new ideas, and believe that women bring a great asset and necessity, as well as a different perspective to the field.

“I think it’s important for women to work wherever they want to, without boundaries or limitations,” Rithu said. “For those women who wish to work in STEM, it should be an unhindered path.”

UNESDOC says that only around 30% of female students in higher education choose STEM-related fields of study. Not only are the gender gaps more apparent in higher

education, but female students represent only 35% of all students enrolled in a STEM-related field, globally.

“It’s important for more women to become involved in STEM careers because the world is currently being explained through a male perspective, our knowledge of the universe colored and shaped by male beliefs,” said Ria. “These biases fundamentally dominate and inform the way research is conducted—they shape what questions are explored, what innovations and developed, what problems are prioritized.”

According to UNESDOC, the under-representation of women in STEM translates into the loss of a critical mass of talent, thoughts and ideas, which hinders countries from reaching their maximum development potential.

The work done this year by Ria and Rithu has been phenomenal. We look forward to the great things they will be contributing to their communities and our world. Ria is attending UCLA as a Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology major. In the future, she hopes to pursue a career in medicine. Rithu is attending UC Berkeley, pursuing a degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

According to Forbes magazine, the 10-best-paying STEM jobs for recent grads include:

Petroleum Engineer Nuclear Engineer Marine Engineer Chemical Engineer Computer and Information Research Scientist Aerospace Engineer Marine Architect Nuclear Medicine Technologist Business Intelligence Analyst Software Developer, Systems Software