As of 2023, women make up 26% of the STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) workforce and only 13.7% of the global engineering workforce. These statistics can seem daunting to girls who may be interested in pursuing such paths in higher-level education. Thus, the WISE (Women In Science and Engineering) club at Huron aims to create a space where girls explore a variety of STEM topics together in a fun and safe environment.

“There’s a lot of male dominance in the field, so it’s really nice to be able to just be with like-minded women who also care this much about what I’m interested in,” said Social Media Manager Madeline Montgomery.

With a male majority participating in STEM research, many everyday items from seat belts to office chairs have also been researched and designed by men, for men . The leaders of WISE hope to see a rise in representation for women not only within the STEM workforce, but also as consumers of products made through STEM research.

“At my first meeting, I listened to a speaker talk about how a lot of products, especially shoes and car safety items, are designed with the image of a man involved and not the idea of a woman’s body,” WISE Vice President Liliana Franzese said. “I thought that was wrong and I really want to look more into that research to see the ways we can improve this in the future.”

WISE’s recent events included featuring U of M chemistry professor Melanie Sanford as a guest speaker and building Rube Goldberg machines from materials found in the engineering room.

Students interested in joining WISE’s mailing list can contact President Selene Koremenos-Tsebelis at [email protected] and Vice President Liliana Franzese at [email protected].