Meet Dr. Roxanne Moore, a senior research engineer at the Georgia Institute of Technology’s G.W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and the Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC). Dr. Moore started by getting her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. She then moved to Atlanta to study at Georgia Tech, where she received both her M.S. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering. She continues to work at Georgia Tech where she specializes in researching systems engineering, design theory, and artificial intelligence and how it applies to industry, policy, and education. She also works on promoting diversity and inclusion in these fields. She has earned many accolades for her work, including grants from NSF and Amazon, as well as Georgia Tech’s Teaching Effectiveness Award. Her STEM outreach programs and curriculums have made a large impact, reaching over 100,000 K-12 students worldwide. However, her path to success had its share of ups and downs.

In a world where significant achievements and empowering projects abound, Dr. Moore knows that the true essence lies in prioritizing people over projects. This philosophy, deeply ingrained in her approach to life and work, has shaped her career trajectory and the numerous programs she has been a part of. Dr. Moore's story is one that exemplifies the power of support, teamwork, and the unwavering belief that life is, indeed, a team sport.

Throughout her career, Dr. Moore has been involved in a multitude of projects and initiatives, making it challenging to pick just one as a crowning achievement. Nevertheless, what stands out most prominently is her commitment to fostering a culture of support and empowerment. She firmly believes that when individuals are nurtured and supported, they can create remarkable projects. Dr. Moore's journey has been marked by the realization that success is not a solo endeavor but a collective effort.

One could easily find parallels in Dr. Moore's philosophy when considering her experiences as a woman in the male-dominated field of STEM. While she acknowledges that progress has been made, she remains acutely aware of the challenges she has faced. One particular obstacle she highlights is the subtle and sometimes insidious nature of gender bias. Often, it's only in retrospect that one realizes the extent of its impact, making it challenging to address in the moment. Dr. Moore's advice to aspiring women in STEM is clear: advocate for yourself, ask direct questions, and engage in professional, respectful, and direct communication to overcome these challenges.

Throughout her career, Dr. Moore has encountered biases and stereotypes, but her approach to navigating them reflects her resilience and wisdom. Looking back on her journey through high school and college, Dr. Moore notices a lot of experiences that she didn’t realize were sexist until now. Whether through direct conversations, letting go, or choosing to disengage from unproductive situations, she emphasizes the importance of learning from these experiences and moving forward. Dr. Moore's message is clear: find the people who champion you, create better opportunities for those following your path, and never hold onto resentment.

When asked about the key barriers that women face in STEM, Dr. Moore doesn't dwell on the challenges but focuses on solutions. She calls for women to become entrepreneurs, creating their own companies and cultures that empower them without constraints. Additionally, she emphasizes the importance of women's involvement in leadership positions and on design teams, advocating for a more equitable future.

In fact, to encourage more women to pursue careers in STEM, Dr. Moore advocates a broader perspective on what STEM entails. She sees STEM as a toolbox that empowers individuals to achieve their dreams, bring ideas to life, and improve the world. It's not merely about job security or financial stability; it's about making a meaningful impact on society and being part of a supportive community. Women, she believes, are often motivated by the mission and the sense of belonging, and framing STEM in these terms can be a potent motivator.

To young women considering a career in STEM but facing societal or gender-related pressures, Dr. Moore's advice is simple. She challenges them to ask, "If not you, then who?" She encourages them to surround themselves with supportive allies, to act with confidence, and to persistently show up, for STEM will open doors no matter where their journey leads. Ultimately, Dr. Moore's journey and vision underscore the transformative power of belief in oneself, the strength of community, and the limitless potential of women in STEM.

Meet Ms. Nisha Detchprohm, a passionate research engineer at the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC) and the G. W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering. She received both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech. Currently, Ms. Detchprohm teaches project-based courses and develops a K-12 and college level STEAM curriculum. 

Ms. Detchprohm’s journey in STEM has been one with highs and lows but ultimately is a testament to her perseverance and commitment. Growing up in a family of STEM-educated individuals, she was encouraged to pursue a career in STEM. Although she initially wasn’t the best at math, she became one of two girls out of eleven or so students in a new middle school double-accelerated math program. In her town, this was not a common program and it was considered an honor. Although she embraced the opportunity and made friends in the program, she remembers her gender being pointed out often by her peers. To avoid confrontation, she started acknowledging the gender differences first so they couldn’t be used against her. She did not want her gender to be a limiting factor. It felt like one mistake she made would be pointed out by others and brought back up time and time again, where this was not done when another male classmate would make a mistake. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated experience and is all too common.

Technology and engineering was a mandatory middle school elective for Ms. Detchprohm, but it ended up being the first time she designed and built something, leaving a lasting impact on her. Like many of us, she watched shows like “The Magic School Bus,” “Bill Nye the Science Guy,” “MythBusters,” and “How It’s Made on TV.” She was captivated by the different activities and experiments showcased on these shows. Ms. Detchprohm knew she wanted to be an engineer while she was at a girls in STEM camp for rising high schoolers at her local university. Given the challenge to make three mousetrap-powered cars that completed four tasks, Ms. Detchprohm was immersed in engineering design for the first time and it ended up being the moment that shaped her career. 

While in college, Ms. Detchprohm became more aware of the gender differences in the way her peers and sometimes teachers/supervisors would treat her. She felt that she had to prove herself before they would trust that she knew what she was doing. She would be given the aesthetics-based task so she could add “that female touch”. The same would happen to her female friends in engineering and they were sometimes called “too emotional” or “touchy” if they became upset about this. Nisha reflects, “Even though we have graduated from undergrad, and some of us from graduate school as well, we still see this at work. I constantly push myself to show my colleagues that I am qualified.”

Ms. Detchprohm recalls her first project at her summer internship during her second year of college. While the company was putting work into creating an inclusive environment, Ms. Detchprohm did not feel safe in the town as a female of color without another fellow intern with her that looked like her. Ms. Detchprohm details that out of hundreds of interns at the company, she was one of four placed at a satellite site, and the other three were male. Ms. Detchprohm was the only intern who did not have experience with plastic engineering, but she read the books in the office left by former coworkers and walked on the production floor, observing and talking to technicians to gain as much information as she could about plastic extrusion/forming. This was her first introduction to product-based design and user-centered design within engineering, which changed her career trajectory. Based on her midterm and final term presentation, the company gave Ms. Detchprohm room to implement the changes she proposed and a return offer to work there, showing that the gender stereotype does not correlate to the potential for output of work. She worked to show that she could do good work, to make sure that if people were looking to critique her work, they had to stretch to find something, which no one could do. Although she was often called “little lady” by some of the employees when she was trying to get things done, it was overall a supportive environment. Ms. Detchprohm notes that some of her other friends were not so lucky with this in their placements.

  Reflecting now, Ms. Detchprohm is very proud of her younger self for never questioning if she could complete a project; she just said “I will get it done, the question is how.” She took every challenge in stride and it taught her a lot of soft skills. She learned to collaborate with others from different backgrounds and how to tactfully advocate for herself when she did not feel comfortable, which can apply to all fields. To this day, Ms. Detchprohm can still reach out to colleagues who do not work directly with her, because she knows they can provide insight. Her internship experience changed the way she approached working in teams and how she carried herself. Ms. Detchprohm reflects that your credentials can only carry you so far. She states, “You also have to know how to hold yourself in a professional setting without writing over yourself and what you believe in because colleagues will see through that very quickly.”

Unfortunately, the self-confidence Ms. Detchprohm had in completing things is not as prominent anymore because she kept running into gender-based doubts from her peers of all genders, not just males. She details how “it leads to self-doubt or imposter syndrome that shows in base questions such as ‘am I qualified enough,’ ‘do I know this,’ ‘maybe someone else knows better,’ in situations where you have the capabilities to do it. It shows the importance of social awareness and the impact of what you say to someone because it will shape your opinions and thoughts if they are said often enough. Just think about some of the things that are said to you often, anything positive/negative/ neutral. Are these things that you believe in now that you did not originally?”

  Ms. Detchprohm explains that there are both opportunities to show others what you can do and to learn from/educate others when these situations happen. The positive side to this is that she now has the opportunity to set an example for other young people of any gender in the same field. She hopes that the women feel motivated and reassured that there is space for them if they want to be here. For other genders, she hopes that they recognize that gender does not determine how well you can do something and learn to motivate themselves to help others from different backgrounds enter the STEM space. Your journey does not end with yourself.

Bouncing off this idea, Ms. Detchprohm believes that having a role model is a very powerful thing. It feels like a glimpse into the future of possibilities for you and the #1 thing is seeing people in STEM that are from a similar background. While her role models are not all from the same background as her, they made her believe she could do it too or say “I want to do that,” and she has become like them too. Some of Ms. Detchprohm’s role models from throughout her life include Ms. Frizzle, Bill Nye, MythBusters, Simone Giertz, and a tennis coach from when she was younger. Ms. Detchprohm had never thought about teaching or prototyping. Now, she requests to teach college courses in her current job and seeks interactive projects in her free time.

  In addition to having a mentor, Ms. Detchprohm believes having the proper environment to foster STEM in different stages of your life is another important thing. She liked the “women in STEM” camps/ workshops. If these programs are executing correctly, it provides the space and time for us to explore our interests in STEM without having someone point out gender as a factor. Ms. Detchprohm continues, “Creating a sense of community for women in STEM when they enter STEM fields is also important. Whether it’s a mentor/mentee program, a weekly coffee group, etc. I would argue that this does not have to be a gender-based situation either. Diversity in gender, yes, but some of my best mentors or groups are from people with mixed backgrounds because it teaches you to appreciate each other’s perspectives. The support is the most important part. This is related to human nature in general, where we are more likely to continue to do things if we have a supportive environment and peers. The great part about this is that this is already happening. It’s slow, hopefully steady, but this does exist! The potential pitfall is if these initiatives are not created for supportive reasons. There’s a huge difference between throwing money at a problem and making the right decisions based on the intended group. I have seen multiple initiatives created to check the box of diversity and put it on the front page of a newsletter, but they are not created to sustain themselves well, and then they don’t work in the end.” She emphasizes the importance of initiatives and strategies being done correctly to foster STEM and the surrounding environment for women.

Thinking specifically about barriers to entry,  the first one that comes to mind is the straightforward statement “That’s not what girls do.” It can either drive someone to prove them wrong, or it can make someone lose interest in STEM. But the question is, why do women have to do either of those things? One of her former research lab mates is currently studying the design of engineering spaces and how simple things like: the height of tables, and the size of work tools, are historically designed for the average male body dimensions. This does not only apply to women, but this also applies to people who are not right-hand dominant, average-sized people.

Another statement is “Women are emotional”: This has a positive and a negative. Women are seen as nurturing/caring beings (studies showed that children tend to seek females for comfort more than males) and this occurs in the work setting. It often falls to other females in the same field to mentor or provide emotional support where certain work environments do not provide this, keeping in mind that they also have their own. So, this is a balance we need to learn if we do take this responsibility. The negative is when someone is upset by a work situation and they cry or express themselves emotionally, and it gets remarked as “this is unprofessional.” Sadly, for this situation, Ms. Detchprohm has not found a proper solution that does not involve suppressing some emotion. She has learned to approach these scenarios logically so people can't hold it against her. She tries to let people know when things are not okay in a positive and professional way so it does not continue while also gaining respect from her peers.

  To overcome most challenges, Ms. Detchprohm stresses the importance of having a community as well as  something that helps you mentally and emotionally recharge. For her specifically, she needs something to do that isn’t related to work such as exercise, music, or art. It’s a nice way to take a break and separate yourself, so you have the energy to tackle any challenges again. You need time to yourself in order to stay grounded.

Her current solution is growing mentally and sustaining your mental health: knowing which battles you want to fight, being honest with yourself for the good and the bad, reflecting on situations to learn from them, being able to hold yourself accountable, being aware of your impact on yourself and your environment. It is very easy to want to fix everything, but it is exhausting to do so. The questions she created for me are: are they listening and willing to help, where can I make the most impact, and is this a sustainable idea? Sustainable is how long-term an action is. She tried tackling everything once and realized it was too large of a task for one person. So, Ms. Detchprohm learned that when she teaches, her students carry some of my sentiments forward, whereas, if she goes directly to the chair of the mechanical engineering department with their busy schedule and low bandwidth for more work, nothing would happen. 

It’s also important to be honest with yourself. A quick example is: am I tired because I need a break before starting to do this again, or am I constantly asking too much from myself? So, she gauges this by asking the follow-ups: if someone else was doing what I am doing, would I have expected them to be done with this already? Am I being overly critical of myself because it is me? She has found that most females in her workplace are currently mentally drained from pushing themselves so much. All of this looks different from person to person, so it's important to find what works for you and to recognize when you are mentally drained. Balance where you are with what you can do, and if it becomes a huge strain where you cannot do that for the foreseeable future, it’s okay to start looking elsewhere. There is STEM all over the world, and there are places that can fit you better. It may just take time to get there, but staying where you are if it’s bad will not help you move towards these better places. It's important to be able to gauge your situatuon and how it's working for you.

  Ask yourself, “What do I want to do in STEM and why?” Is it for yourself and your interests, or is it because someone else told you to do it? This is not to scare young women from STEM, it’s asking them to reflect. If you are interested and have reasons why you want to do it, I encourage you all to try it! It’s never too late to change to something else if you don’t like it, but don’t create a barrier of self-doubt. Reach out to other women in STEM in related careers and talk to them, take elective classes in high school or college, and find STEM workshops to attend! There are so many opportunities to explore STEM when you are younger. You just have to put in the effort to do it.

There are so many more careers and interdisciplinary opportunities in STEM than you could ever imagine. Ms. Detchprohm did not know she could do the job she is doing now until she got the job. She did not know interactive design and physical prototyping were even considered STEM. The biggest thing she wants to encourage is to talk to people. We have all lived lives and have gained knowledge that you too can hear about without having to spend years doing these things. She explains how it's kind of like what Ms. Frizzle says: “ask questions, make mistakes, get messy,” which is very applicable in this setting. This will help you find what you want to do and where you might fit in. Everything can be a learning experience if you are open to it.

In the end, Ms. Detchprohm emphasizes how supporting each other is important too. It is disappointing when you encounter the occasional females in STEM who push each other down to progress. Over time, people will learn what you can do and they will recognize it. It takes time and patience sometimes, but that was how she navigated most of my time in STEM. Connections and community come into play here because they are the people that can help you progress and provide opportunities and support you when you need it most.

  Ms. Detchprohm encourages us to reflect on our journeys. Some questions she believes we should ask ourselves are: How has pursuing STEM been portrayed to you? What about it makes it desirable? What about it makes it daunting? Which of these things relate to what you want to do specifically versus what the people around you want you to do?