International Day of Women and Girls in STEM Inspires the Next Generation

As a doctoral student in polymer science and plastics engineering, Kalsoom Jan ’23 has benefited from years of mentorship from women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) — including her advisor, Associate Professor Wan-Ting (Grace) Chen.

At UMass Lowell’s first International Day of Women and Girls in STEM event, Jan had the opportunity to pay that support forward. Standing beside her research poster at Alumni Hall, Jan explained to more than 100 visiting high school students how her work uses hydrothermal liquefaction to convert plastic waste into usable fuels and chemicals. 

“I have been supported by women throughout my life,” Jan said. “I want to support and inspire young women so they can be successful in STEM in the future.”

Organized by STELAR, UMass Lowell’s STEM Teaching, Educator Learning and Research initiative, the event marked the university’s first campus-wide celebration of the United Nations’ International Day of Women and Girls in Science. 

The program brought students from Chelmsford, Billerica, Haverhill, Lowell and Greater Lawrence Tech to campus for lightning talks, lab tours, demonstrations and research presentations. Faculty, staff and students from the Kennedy College of Sciences, the Francis College of Engineering, the Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences  and the School of Education collaborated on the event.

Associate Clinical Professor and UTeach Director Sumudu Lewis noted that for much of modern history, women’s research was “undervalued, ignored or credited to male colleagues,” while structural barriers limited access to funding, leadership roles and professional networks. Events like this, she said, help make “hidden contributions visible” and signal to young women that “you belong in STEM.”

A series of lightning talks from UMass Lowell undergraduates gave visiting students a look at different pathways.

Julie Sage, a senior physics major, described research at UML’s Schueller Observatory and internships that took her from the Harvard and Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics to a gravitational wave detector project in the Netherlands. “I decided at 6 years old that I wanted to be an astrophysicist and I ran with that,” she said.

Biomedical engineering sophomore Dana Yousef spoke about combining her early interest in medicine with engineering. “If you can challenge yourself and change along the way, that’s what’s most important,” Yousef said.

Electrical engineering freshman Destinee Jeanty described pivoting from childhood dreams of becoming an astronaut to designing the systems that make space travel possible. “I won’t be the one going to space; I’ll be the one who gets them there,” she said.

Visiting students rotated through campus labs and demonstrations spanning biotechnology, biomechanics, space weather monitoring, robotics and environmental engineering. Club and table demonstrations included organizations such as the Society of Women Engineers and other STEM-focused student groups. Poster sessions featured UML undergraduate and graduate researchers, as well as several high school students presenting their own work.

Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering Yanfen Li, one of the organizers, said the goal was to make the university’s research community visible and accessible.

“We thought it was a great opportunity to showcase all the wonderful science and research being done here,” said Li, adding that organizers hope to expand the program next year to include more high schools.

For Greater Lawrence Tech junior Yvonne Cote, who presented research she conducted through the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard examining genetic mutations in yeast exposed to antifungal treatment, the day reinforced the meaning behind the international observance.

“It really shows the accomplishments that us women have made in science and where we started to where we are today,” said Cote, who was visiting UMass Lowell for the first time. “Everything that we’ve been able to do — it’s amazing.”