Pennsylvania STEM Initiative

Dr. Joanna Floros is the perfect “study” in using sheer determination, unyielding perseverance and a strong will to achieve your dreams.

 

More importantly, as a leading researcher/professor in what is considered to be primarily a male-dominated profession, she is a role model for young girls who aspire to have a Science, Technology, Engineering or Math (STEM) career.

 

Floros was a keynote speaker to about 80 individuals from community organizations, school districts and institutes of higher education who attended the recent Pennsylvania STEM and National Girls Collaborative Project kickoff at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.

 

“I was trying to convey to the audience the need to empower girls, to help them find what they want to be, and when they do, to teach them to believe in their dreams,” Floros said in a post-speech interview. “They also need to learn that they have a responsibility in life to be the very best they can be and not to give up when there are bumps in the road because obstacles will come, but they have to realize that and be strong enough to overcome them.”   

 

Floros knows first-hand how difficult it can be to achieve your dreams.

Following high school graduation in Greece, Floros came to the United States to continue her studies, but didn’t speak English when she came to this country. She also didn’t realize there would be cultural and gender barriers as she worked toward a science-based career.

 

“It never occurred to me that I shouldn’t go into the sciences because I was a woman. It never occurred to me that there would be different standards,” Floros said. “In the eyes of some, there is a question as to whether science and having a family can ever go hand-in-hand when you are a woman. But no one ever questions a man if he decides to have a career in the sciences and a family.”

 

Floros said throughout her career she has worked in fabulous environments and those that were less appealing, but she stuck to her dreams and is now an Evan Pugh Professor of Pediatrics at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center’s College of Medicine. Being named an Evan Pugh Professor is an esteemed honor that’s achieved by very few men or women. She was only the third woman to be an Evan Pugh designee.

 

Floros said she is willing to serve as a positive role model and encourages girls to dream big and work hard to achieve those dreams.

 

“To get them to do that, it has to come from within,” Floros said. “They have to believe in themselves and they have to believe in what they want to do. I tell 18-, 19- and 20-year-old girls that I didn’t even speak the language when I was your age. So if I can do it, you can do it too.”

 

In addition to Floros’ presentation, there was a review of the PA STEM Initiative and the National Girls Collaborative Project, an explanation of the mini-grant application process and a speed networking session.

 

Pennsylvania STEM Initiative (www.pasteminitiative.org) is a statewide effort within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, designed to create the foundation for the state’s future competitiveness by establishing a network of partners and programs that support the development and deployment of science, technology, engineering and mathematics education and workforce development.

 

Established in August 2007, the Pennsylvania STEM initiative is an initiative of the National Governor's Association and the Team Pennsylvania Foundation with the support of leaders from multiple Commonwealth agencies as well as business, secondary education and higher education partners. As a result of this partnership, the NGA Center for Best Practices awarded Pennsylvania one of six statewide STEM grants to fund the initial two years of the STEM effort.

 

Pennsylvania STEM Initiative is a key component in a nationwide strategy for implementing a STEM education redesign throughout the nation.  This national effort is being conducted through the leadership of the National Governor's Association.

 

NGCP is designed to reach girl-serving STEM organizations across the United States and Puerto Rico. An intense recruitment and selection process began Fall 2005 to identify sponsoring organizations to lead the local collaboratives. The organizations selected to host local collaboratives are impressive in their knowledge, experience, and diversity. As a group, the local collaboratives have an extensive network of organizations and individuals engaged in pursuing this common goal and the opportunity to share with and learn from each other. They vary in focus areas and populations served, but all work to increase gender equity in STEM fields.

 

The vision of the NGCP is to bring together organizations throughout the United States and Puerto Rico that are committed to informing and encouraging girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

 

The goals of NGCP are to: