Women Elevate STEM
(WE STEM+)
The WE STEM+ Career Summer Academy is a PAID summer experience designed for students who have participated in a MESA program and completed 10th grade. In this academy, students will spend a week touring facilities from some of EWU’s industry partners, participating in many activities on the EWU campus, meeting with women who are industry experts, and learning about educational pathways that lead to work in those industries. For more information about this opportunity, please contact Melissa Graham at mgraham14@ewu.edu or (509) 359-2007.
Biotech Week: June 23 – June 27
Activities for the mechanical biotech week will be led by Amy Gray.
Amy Gray is passionate about connecting students with hands-on research opportunities, science outreach, and spending time in nature with her own budding young scientist and husky mutt. Amy’s academic interests include botany, entomology, mycology, and microbiology. She earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at Eastern Washington University where she focused on molecular biology.
Mechanical Engineering/Robotics Week: July 7 – July 11
Activities for the mechanical engineering/robotics week will be led by Dr. Jennifer Leaf.
Jennifer’s original career field was computer science. She worked as a software engineer in the defense industry and as a Senior Program Manager at Microsoft. After 14 years in industry, she decided to pursue her other lifelong goals of teaching and robotics. She studied mechanical engineering at EWU as a post-baccalaureate student to prepare for graduate school, then attended Oregon State University where she completed a Ph. D. in Robotics in June of 2023.
Geosciences Week: July 14 – July 18
Activities for the geosciences week will be led by Dr. Erin Dorothea Dascher.
In her research, Erin uses geospatial tools and large datasets to analyze functionally connected river networks, watershed connectivity, and freshwater mussel distribution. Erin draws upon her past experience working as a grass-roots organizer for Greenpeace and her knowledge of environmental management to pursue scientific endeavors that not only lead to better environmental policy and practices but also create tools for improved dissemination of scientific findings and ideas.
Computer Science Week: July 14 – July 18
Activities for the computer science week will be led by Sarah Johnson.
Sarah’s passion lies in teaching programming to people with a variety of life experiences. She started her academic career in the humanities, earning a BA in Classics and an MFA in Poetry. She enjoys programming in various languages including Python, Java, C, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and holds an MS in Computer Science. Some of Sarah’s notable projects include a Java program to guide users, especially those new to poetry, in composing original poems. As part of a team she helped develop an Axure-based tool prototype to help patients make health care decisions. Sarah especially enjoys teaching people who are new to programming and those who come to program through unexpected paths.
