Women@Luminex mentorship program open to all
In 2015, the United Nations adopted a resolution declaring each February 11th the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. The resolution urged organizations, academia, and individuals to take part in education and awareness campaigns to address the disparities between men and women in science. While the gender gap has almost vanished in the percentage of people who earn PhDs in science, math, and engineering, it persists in later career stages: only 30% of principal investigators for NIH-funded grants are women.
Luminex is a firm believer in expanding access to science careers for girls and women, and we are confident that the overall quality of science will increase with greater diversity in the biomedical community. While we applaud having a special day to recognize this, we hope it’s obvious to everyone that this is something that requires an ongoing commitment.
Community Involvement
We’re proud that many Luminex employees have found creative ways to get girls interested in science from an early age. At our Austin headquarters, our team regularly volunteers with Girlstart, a local organization focused on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education for girls, and we hosted a “Take Your Kid to Work” event, geared toward high school students. In our Madison, WI, office, employees recently teamed up with a local Girl Scout troop; the girls heard a brief description of jobs from women in various science-related positions and participated in science activities. They made lava lamps, “elephant” toothpaste, and DNA bracelets. They also extracted DNA from strawberries — which was their favorite activity. The girls loved wearing disposable lab coats, gloves, and safety glasses, and they ultimately earned a new STEM badge to recognize their hard work.
Mentorship and Development
Promoting opportunities in the science world is not just an external focus. Our internal Women@Luminex group was started in 2013 to harness the power, influence, and intelligence of Luminex’s female employees to establish a global support network for our employees. The mission of the group is to foster professional development and mentoring, cross-functional networking, and leadership opportunities outside of traditional work roles. The framework allows all employees to build relationships regardless of gender, and to feel empowered, heard, and valued (and we’re delighted that a number of men have chosen to participate as well!).
The group also runs a mentorship program to pair eligible employees with more senior professionals. In the first year, the program started with 10 pairings; by last year, we had 60 pairings across our offices. As Nancy Sun, Agile Software Development Lead and co-chair of Women@Luminex, told us, “Many men and women involved with the mentorship program have said that it’s helped them improve their conflict resolution skills, discover interests, and be better communicators.”
Get Involved
There are many ways to get involved. You can work with groups that strive to inspire the next generation of women scientists, or you can join professional organizations to network with other women that are involved in the sciences. Here’s a short list of resources to help you get started:
- Girlstart is a Texas-based organization focused on designing and implementing innovative, high quality informal STEM education programs that inspire girls to transform our world.
- Girl Scouts introduces girls to STEM experiences relevant to everyday life, including exploring careers in STEM fields.
- Women In Bio is an organization of professionals committed to promoting careers, leadership, and entrepreneurship for women in the life sciences.
Also, this month at the UT Austin Campus, check out a special event on February 25—Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day and the Girl Day STEM Festival. Learn more: https://girlday.utexas.edu/
This Saturday, we hope you find a fun way to make science cool and accessible to the girls and women in your life. Join us in the celebration!
