Women in Science club supports the next generation of women in STEM

It’s a Thursday night, and Belmont students gather in the Massey Conference room with popcorn to watch the film “Hidden Figures.” The main characters of the film are like the students who view the film, talented and intelligent females pursuing careers in STEM.

Lucky for them, Belmont’s Women in Science club is there to support these aspiring scientists.

The club, open to all women pursuing a degree in STEM, healthcare or audio engineering, screened the film and featured a talk from from Dr. Krista McBride, the club’s adviser and an associate professor in the Department of Physics

McBride spoke about her own experience with gender bias in the field of physics, and how it’s led to her to support of club of young women like herself.

“You have a lot of push, especially from the males, that we’re not good enough to do it, that they would prefer a male to do this role and to converse with, as opposed to a female,” McBride said.

Jennifer King, a junior neuroscience major, has been involved in the club since it was founded three years ago and is now serving her first year as president.

“I love the idea of having a community for the women in STEM,” said King. “There are a lot of wonderful organizations at Belmont that do career development, career advancing and professional talks at Belmont, but there wasn’t a community for women to encourage each other, especially in the sciences.”

They have other events in the works for this year, including ice cream and pumpkin carving socials as well as holding a professional panel of females in STEM and healthcare.

“It’s important to have a community that can encourage your dreams and talk realistically about what is to be a woman in science,” said King.

This article written by Olivia Peppiatt. Contributing reporting by Emily Carney and Lydia Fletcher.