As a global science company that champions an inclusive and collaborative working environment where every employee, regardless of their gender is valued and supported, 3M is celebrating International Day of Women and Girls in Science by sharing the perspectives of women leaders on gender diversity in STEM.
Dr. Jayshree Seth, 3M corporate scientist and chief science advocate said, "Science and the scientific community need to be a representation of our society. Women and girls are half of the world's population. We have to unlock their potential by showing and celebrating that they too can be scientists."
For Jayshree, science was a part of everything she knew growing up in India. Her father was a civil engineering professor at the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee where her family lived on campus. After graduate school, she began her career at 3M where she uses science to solve the world's problems.
After three decades at 3M, Jayshree holds 76 patents for a variety of innovations. She was appointed 3M's first ever chief science advocate in 2018 and is using her scientific knowledge, technical expertise, and professional experience to advance science and communicate the benefits of science and the importance of diversity in STEM fields.
Jayshree's commitment to encouraging, supporting, and mentoring women and girls in science is about ensuring diversity in STEM, which results in better science overall.
3M Thailand welcomes the new generation of women and girls in science
"At 3M, science is at the center of everything we do. Our diverse workforce enables 3M to create products that are a part of everyone's life. We know that having people from diverse backgrounds who bring different experiences and perspective will only lead to better solutions - because when we unlock the power of people, ideas and science, we can reimagine what's possible", said Wiyada Srinaganand, Country Leader, 3M Thailand.
STEM professions in demand
According to the 2023 State of Science Index (SOSI) Thailand, 89% of people in Thailand agree that STEM professionals can help us solve the problems of tomorrow and 79% agree that women are a source of untapped potential in the STEM workforce.
Siriporn Jiwpanich, Application Engineer Leader, SEA Region at 3M said, "Science and engineering are important aspects of our everyday life and STEM professions will become increasingly more in-demand in the future. In pursuing these professions, gender shouldn't be a limiting factor to what we can contribute. Science has the potential to change the world but one person or one group alone may not be able to do so."
Anticipating the rising demands for STEM professionals in the future, Siriporn led 3M Tech Talks, an initiative to broaden students' understanding of science and engineering careers, at the Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University on Aug 25, 2022. 3M experts shared stories from their career paths, guidance on how to prepare for the careers, and demonstrated the products they have worked on throughout their careers - inspiring the new generation of students to become scientists or engineers.
Closing the gender gap in STEM
In 2021, 3M set a global, education-focused goal to create five million unique STEM and Skilled Trades learning experiences for underrepresented individuals by the end of 2025. Following Year 1 (2021-2022), 3M has created/supported more than one million unique STEM and Skilled Trades learning experiences.
Wimonwan Klinkajon, Application Engineer Supervisor and Product Development Engineer at 3M echoed, "Although women used to be underrepresented in STEM, we are beginning to see a growing number of female engineers and scientists in Thailand. As an innovative company that uses science to improve lives, 3M celebrates women who possess education and experience in STEM at every level of the company."
M's support for STEM education
3M is working to provide STEM education opportunities for people of all genders, races, and backgrounds and some of those initiatives are outlined below:
- Visiting Wizards: 3M's Visiting Wizards encourages young people (primarily children grade 1-6) to become interested in STEM. 3M Wizards showcase interesting and fun science demonstrations with hands-on experiments on a variety of topics. These simple experiments can help youth understand how 3M science can impact everyday life.
- Not the Science Type: In June 2021, 3M released a docuseries, "Not the Science Type," which featured the stories of four female scientists with different careers as they challenge stereotypes and confront and overcome gender, racial, and age discrimination.
- Skilled: 3M's latest docuseries "Skilled" celebrates the skilled trades and addresses misperceptions that may be preventing more people from pursuing these vital careers. the docuseries made its debut Jan. 22 at an officially sanctioned event of the 2023 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, and will be screened in the future at various international film festivals, including the Los Angeles International Film Festival and the American Documentary and Animation Film Festival, among others.