US envoy solicits support for women in STEM

The United States of America Consul General, Mr John Bray, has called for more support for women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Medicine (STEM). He spoke at a ceremony marking the 2019 International Day of Women and Girls in Science.

The event was organized by the US Mission in Nigeria in collaboration with Youth Empowerment Restoration and Initiative (YERI) 2020 and Silverbird Cinemas. Speaking on women and girls in STEM, the envoy quoted the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s (UNESCO) report that says only around 30 per cent of all female students around the world select STEM-related fields in higher education.

He encouraged female students to show greater interest in STEM to prepare them for the future. According him, STEM was key to building block for any country’s economic success. The Consul called on friends of Nigeria and allies to encourage and assist her to succeed in this area.

“The world is rapidly changing, thanks to technology and innovations that were unimaginable not that long ago. “I think you have heard of many of them: driverless vehicles, drones, lasers, artificial intelligence, robotics, and nanotechnology. “If you haven’t heard of them, I recommend that you start reading about them’’, he stated.

“Mastering technologies such as these will be key to many of the job opportunities of the future. A future that may seem fantastic right now but shortly, all of the things that I just mentioned will become commonplace. “For comparison, think of how fantastic a car must have seemed when most people were riding horses for transportation.”
Among activities for the day include the screening of a movie: Hidden Figures, a real life movie about the activities of three black women who contributed in the 60’s US space programmes.