Women Who Step into STEM

Women in STEM are extremely important to the world. Some of the greatest inventions in the world were made by women, like the first dishwasher, coffee filters, frequency hopping, which is a precursor to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. STEM is science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. These fields are strongly male-dominated, but this needs to change. We need to work together to equalize the ratio between men and women. While traditionally it has been a male-dominated field in the past, women are equally suited for robotics and STEM-based jobs. Women deserve equal representation and opportunity in these fields. 

In order to support women in STEM, Team Hazmat went to the TWIST tech challenge on June 21, 2025, at Mukwonago High School. This event centers around girls in FIRST, to support women.  During the competition, all drivers were girls, and our team’s female drivers had one practice session before they had to compete. From only being able to pick up one specimen to picking up 13 in only six rounds, the girls on team Hazmat performed well, showing how women can do anything when they set their minds to it. Beyond the win, the event offered a meaningful and empowering experience for the girls who participated.

​The girls who had attended had an enriching journey, getting the chance to drive and compete. The judges did a great job of making sure the girls were engaged: one of our drivers said that the experience made her more engaged both on and off the field. 
 
From this experience, our members noticed that very few teams participated. We would like to see more support in the coming years. We will always reinforce ladies in STEM, but we all need to bind together and help support girls who are in and/or interested in STEM. In order to help fix the errors in the opportunity for women in STEM, we all should support women and recode the general public's perspective on women in STEM. We can begin to fix the imbalance in STEM by actively supporting women and changing how society perceives their role in these fields. Help us build a world where women are the formula of STEM. Let’s stop short-circuiting opportunities—women belong in STEM just as much as men do.