We are Sisters in STEM

Sisters in STEM will meet on Wednesdays from 4:30pm-6pm at The Reading Science Center.  The Fall session will run from Oct. 5th to Dec. 21st and the Spring session will run from Feb. 1st to April 26th.  

Do you attend 4th, 5th, or 6th grade in the greater Reading area? Are you interested in Science?  Would you like to become a Sister in STEM?

Click below to fill out an application!

"Empower young women & they will change the world."

Our goal is to excite,  encourage, educate and foster a love for science in young girls. Building this foundation of love for science will inspire each girl to want to continue their education in STEM related courses, eventually leading to more women in STEM jobs. 

In 2019, women accounted for 27% of workers in STEM-qualified industries. Women made, on average, 19% less than men in STEM-qualified industries in 2019.

Women remain underrepresented in the science and engineering workforce, although to a lesser degree than in the past, with the greatest disparities occurring in engineering, computer science, and the physical sciences

Although women fill close to half of all jobs in the U.S. economy, they hold less than 25 percent of STEM jobs. This has been the case throughout the past decade, even as college educated women have increased their share of the overall workforce.

Interested in supporting
G.IR.L.S. / S.I.S.?

Do you love STEM? Do you want to be a founding volunteer member helping us to build the momentum for our opening year of the Reading Science Center #RDGsci, located on Penn Street in downtown Reading?

We want your help! Maybe you have an hour to give conducting tours, maybe you have weekend and after school hours to teach in our cell lab – whatever you have to offer in time and talent, we will find you a volunteer job that can help us make Berks County’s first Reading Science Center a huge community success.

Explore

The girls will learn more about STEM areas of science including Chemistry, Energy, Biology, Botany, Marine Biology, Astronomy, Molecular Biology, and Hydrology to name a few. They will also have the opportunity to engage with female scientists doing work in these fields of science.

Mentor

Girls will be mentored in our weekly meetings by local female college students studying the sciences as well as adult volunteers. Also, girls will have the opportunity to mentor guests visiting the Reading Science Center by sharing what they have learned.

Empower

Through cultivating new relationships with mentors, leaders, and real life scientists, the girls will be introduced to a variety of sciences. They will build confidence to continue their educational journey in STEM related areas of study and ultimately their careers in STEM.

Inspire

Girls will research, learn from, and be inspired by strong women of science from the past, present, and future.

Encourage

Girls will become familiar with practices that support their growth in self-confidence. Girls will work through the scientific process and utilize problem solving skills which can then be applies to any facet of life. They will learn through failure.

Partner

To find out how you can partner with the S.I.S. program email liz.lally@rdgsci.org

Women Who Inspire Us

Valerie Thomas

Valerie Thomas is an African American scientist and inventor best known for her patented illusion transmitter and contributions to NASA research.

Lesley Jonas-Nartey

Lesley Jonas-Nartey – A technology delivery lead and consultant who assists businesses as they adjust to new, more innovative ways of working. She also works

Jacqueline K. Barton

Barton discovered that DNA conducts electric current but not as well — or not at all — when its tight organization is disrupted by damage

Anila Yadavalli Ph.D.

Anila Yadavalli Ph.D. – A MathCEP Assistant Professor in the School of Mathematics at the University of Minnesota who teaches math to students and tries

Maryam Zaringhalam Ph.D

Maryam Zaringhalam Ph.D. – Was a molecular biologist (studying RNA biology), but is now devoted to working with science policy. She has completed her Ph.D.

Teal Potter

Teal Potter – A soil ecologist who studies farming practices and how the microbial communities impact the success of crops. She is based out of

Gabriel Fernández-Cuervo, Ph.D.

Gabriel Fernández-Cuervo, Ph.D. – A chemical biology scientist who received the majority of her training in Puerto Rico. She is currently based out of San

Barbara Ross-Lee, D.O.

Barbara Ross-Lee, D.O., was the first African American woman to be appointed dean of an American medical school

Mary “Missy” Cummings

Mary “Missy” Cummings – A professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Duke University Pratt School of Engineering. She was also one

Dr. Rebecca Crumpler

Dr. Rebecca Crumpler was the first African American woman to earn an M.D. degree.  Her ‘Book of Medical Discourses’ is one of the very first

Women Who Inspire Us

Barbara Ross-Lee, D.O.

Barbara Ross-Lee, D.O., was the first African American woman to be appointed dean of an American medical school

Teal Potter

Teal Potter – A soil ecologist who studies farming practices and how the microbial communities impact the success of crops. She is based out of

Valerie Thomas

Valerie Thomas is an African American scientist and inventor best known for her patented illusion transmitter and contributions to NASA research.

Anila Yadavalli Ph.D.

Anila Yadavalli Ph.D. – A MathCEP Assistant Professor in the School of Mathematics at the University of Minnesota who teaches math to students and tries

Lesley Jonas-Nartey

Lesley Jonas-Nartey – A technology delivery lead and consultant who assists businesses as they adjust to new, more innovative ways of working. She also works

Women Who Inspire Us

Jacqueline K. Barton

Barton discovered that DNA conducts electric current but not as well — or not at all — when its tight organization is disrupted by damage

Maryam Zaringhalam Ph.D

Maryam Zaringhalam Ph.D. – Was a molecular biologist (studying RNA biology), but is now devoted to working with science policy. She has completed her Ph.D.

Gabriel Fernández-Cuervo, Ph.D.

Gabriel Fernández-Cuervo, Ph.D. – A chemical biology scientist who received the majority of her training in Puerto Rico. She is currently based out of San

Lesley Jonas-Nartey

Lesley Jonas-Nartey – A technology delivery lead and consultant who assists businesses as they adjust to new, more innovative ways of working. She also works

Teal Potter

Teal Potter – A soil ecologist who studies farming practices and how the microbial communities impact the success of crops. She is based out of

Anila Yadavalli Ph.D.

Anila Yadavalli Ph.D. – A MathCEP Assistant Professor in the School of Mathematics at the University of Minnesota who teaches math to students and tries

Mary “Missy” Cummings

Mary “Missy” Cummings – A professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Duke University Pratt School of Engineering. She was also one

Valerie Thomas

Valerie Thomas is an African American scientist and inventor best known for her patented illusion transmitter and contributions to NASA research.

Barbara Ross-Lee, D.O.

Barbara Ross-Lee, D.O., was the first African American woman to be appointed dean of an American medical school

Dr. Rebecca Crumpler

Dr. Rebecca Crumpler was the first African American woman to earn an M.D. degree.  Her ‘Book of Medical Discourses’ is one of the very first

Local Women Title

Women Who Inspire Us

Science @ Home

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EVENTS

november, 2024

november, 2024

Our Mission

The Reading Science Center exists to foster a love of Science through exciting and experiential STEM education for the Greater Reading community, especially our youth.

Our Vision

Through both formal and informal science education, the Reading Science Center promotes careers in science, technology, engineering and math (“STEM”) careers, helping to address the shortage of people entering such careers and in turn helping the local economy.

Our Purpose

Reading Science Center programming compliments and augments efforts by school districts, government agencies, and other non-profit organizations in promoting STEM careers to youth and provides a centralized location to advance science education within our community.