Innovation New Jersey
  • Home
  • Our Coalition
    • Contact Us
  • News
  • Resources
    • State Supports
    • Federal Supports
    • Higher Ed Supports
  • Join Us

Innovation News

Everything Innovation. Everything New Jersey.
Follow us and stay connected.

Opinion: Allergan Chief Brent L. Saunders on ‘Helping our Daughters Stick with STEM’

6/23/2017

0 Comments

 
Parsippany, NJ, June 21, 2017 — Brent L. Saunders, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer at Allergan plc, on June 21 wrote the following opinion piece on his CEO blog:
 
As the CEO of a biopharma company that is focused on innovation for patients, I was struck recently by the scientific thinking and discovery happening at an event that might surprise you: my daughter’s high school science fair.
 
The projects tackled scientific mysteries such as why different shades of color trigger a neurological response including mood, how mathematical statistics explain the so-called “Birthday Paradox” and more.
 
This group of scientifically-minded teenage girls is just a small sample of the thousands of STEM programs and camps bringing forward interesting science nationwide. It’s surprising then, that the STEM workforce in America today is only 28% female.
​What happens between adolescence and adulthood to make these curious and ambitious potential scientists choose a different path?
 
A recent London School of Economics study finds that because of “conformity to social expectations, gender stereotypes, gender roles and lack of role models,” girls start losing interest in STEM at around age 15.
 
We must reverse this trend. It is not only in the best interest of our daughters, but it is vital to economic progress in the years ahead.
 
We can only unlock advancements in human health, environmental stewardship, renewable energy and a host of other scientific areas if we have the best, most diverse thinking available to tackle the challenges society faces. Just think of what a new generation of female scientists, arguably the most empowered generation in our history, could mean for innovation.
 
Case in point: CRISPR, one of the most exciting technologies in recent years, was discovered by a small group of scientists including Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier.
 
CRISPR has the potential to revolutionize medicine by allowing scientists to target a specific part of a genetic code and permanently edit DNA. It could transform the treatment of numerous diseases.
 
To encourage more role models like Doudna and Charpentier, The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) deserves praise for its extensive outreach to girls. In addition to scholarship and mentorship programs, SWE host hands-on building events for girls in grades 6-12, and they hand out SWENext Pacesetter awards to high school girls “who have built a solid foundation toward future success and fulfillment in engineering.”
 
 It’s a strong example of what we need more of across the STEM spectrum. The Allergan Foundation is a proud supporter of SWE.
 
At Allergan, our commitment to supporting women in STEM is clear in our recent hires for Research and Development.
 
This summer, our R&D interns are 58% female. And so far in 2017, women make up 61% of our R&D new hires. I applaud the relentless work being done by female scientists across the biopharma industry and life sciences. I encourage you to take pride in what you have accomplished, and to share your experiences with as many young women as possible.
 
As for parents, with the end of the school year upon us, it is important to keep the science fire burning hot by encouraging our daughters to enroll in summer science programs.
 
As any parent of a teenager can attest, we cannot tell them which path to take. But we can all do our part to help challenge the “social expectations and gender stereotypes” that prevent girls from sticking with STEM.
 
And if they do choose a different direction, we’ll support them, and root for some of their classmates to keep pursuing and achieve their scientific dreams.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Do not miss a single innovative moment and sign up for our newsletter!
    Weekly updates


    Categories

    All
    3D Printing
    Academia
    Acquisitions
    Aerospace
    Agriculture
    AIDS
    Algae
    Alumni
    Animals
    Architecture
    Astrophysics
    Autism
    Awards
    Big Data
    Bioethics
    Biofuel
    Biomedical
    BioNJ
    Bioterrorism
    Bit Coins
    Brain Health
    Business
    Camden
    Cancer
    CCollege
    Cellular
    Centenary
    Chemistry
    ChooseNJ
    Climate Change
    Clinical Trials
    Cloud Tech
    Collaboration
    Computing
    Congress
    Coriell
    Council On Innovation
    Crowdfunding
    Cybersecurity
    DARPA
    Defense
    Degree
    Dementia
    Dental Health
    DOC
    DOD
    DOE
    Drew
    Drones
    Drug Creation
    Einstein's Alley
    Electricity
    Energy
    Engineering
    Entrepreneurship
    Environmental
    FAA
    Fairleigh Dickinson
    FDA
    Federal Budget
    Federal Government
    Federal Labs
    Federal Program
    Finance
    Food Science
    Fort Monmouth
    Fuel Cells
    Funding
    Genome
    Geography
    Geology
    Global Competition
    Google
    Governor Christie
    Grant
    Hackensack
    HackensackUMC
    Healthcare
    Health Care
    HHS
    HINJ
    Hospitals
    Immigration
    Incubator
    Infrastructure
    International
    Internet
    Investor
    IoT
    IP
    IT
    Jobs
    Johnson & Johnson
    K-12
    Kean
    Kessler
    Legislation
    Logistics
    Manufacturing
    Medical Devices
    Med School
    Mental Health
    Mentor
    Microorganisms
    Molecular Biology
    Montclair
    NAS
    Neuroscience
    Newark
    New Jersey
    NIFA
    NIH
    NIST
    NJBDA
    NJBIA
    NJ Chemistry Council
    NJCU
    NJDOLWD
    NJEDA
    NJEDge
    NJHF
    NJII
    NJIT
    NJMEP
    NJPAC
    NJPRO
    NJTC
    Nonprofit
    NSF
    OpEd
    Open Data
    OSHE
    OSTP
    Parasite
    Patents
    Paterson
    Patients
    Perth Amboy
    Pharma
    POTUS
    PPPL
    Princeton
    Prosthetics
    Ranking
    Rare Disease
    R&D Council
    Report
    Resiliency
    Rider
    Robotics
    Rowan
    Rutgers
    SBA
    Seton Hall
    Siemens
    Smart Car
    Smart Cities
    Software
    Solar
    Space
    SSTI
    Startup
    State Government
    STEM
    Stevens
    Stockton
    Subatomic
    Supports
    Sustainability
    Taxes
    TCNJ
    Teachers
    Telecom
    Therapy
    Thermodynamics
    Transportation
    Undergraduate
    USEDA
    Verizon
    Video Game
    Virtual Reality
    Water
    WHO
    William Paterson
    Women In STEM
    Workforce Development

Home   Coalition   News   Resources   Events   Join Us
Picture
Innovation New Jersey Coalition
222 West State Street
Suite 302
Trenton, NJ 08608
732-729-9619