Geneva Pattison
The 10th of February will be marked as an important date in the calendars of 15,000 female students across the globe. The 2022 I Wish STEM conference is set for that date and the free, internationally acclaimed showcase is intended to inspire and encourage teenage girls interested in a career in STEM science. Girls across Ireland are encouraged to sign up via iwish.ie/register.
The talks will feature over 70 leaders in the STEM community and gender equality advocates including former President of Ireland Mary Robinson, Mairead McGuinness the EU Commissioner for Financial Stability and Orla Keane the Deputy Ambassador at the Embassy of Ireland in Washington DC.
Other speakers include London Breed, the 45th Mayor of San Francisco and the first African-American woman to be elected mayor of a city in the USA, Anna Hill the founder of River Cycleway Europe, Imelda Hurley the CEO of Coillte and Brenda Romero an award winning game designer.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin will open the proceedings and there will be five different sessions, each lasting 90 minutes across the day. RTE presenter Sinead Kelly will host the event. Speakers from engineering, science and technology companies, such as Deloitte, Arup, AWS in Communities, Dell Technologies, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, PepsiCo, Stripe and Stryker, will also be giving talks and taking part in the days events.
Speaking more about the impact of the showcase, Co-founder of I Wish, Gillian Keating, has said:
“The I Wish showcase is about highlighting the possibilities of a career in STEM to young female students and having a virtual event means we can extend this message globally. With 15 of the 20 fastest growing careers in the world requiring a background in maths or science, it has never been more important for women to work in STEM to ensure diversity of thought. We want to inspire young female students worldwide to harness their power to shape a better world. Our event on 10 February is one of a series of year-round global activities we have designed at I Wish to impact girls at key touchpoints in their lives. This is only made possible through our fantastic partners both here in Ireland and globally, who are hugely committed to showcasing the power of STEM to the next generation of female innovators.”
For more information, visit iwish.ie/register.
To follow on social media, use the hashtag #IWish22#nogirlgetsleftbehind
