Recently, the student government approved TCNJ’s first STEM club for young women, Scientista. The organization’s founders Senior Kristen Clyne and Senior Sonia Bhutra hope to unite TCNJ women in the STEM collegiate by starting an on-campus chapter of this famous organization.
Scientista is a national organization for women in science and engineering that has chapters across the country from University of California, San Diego to Harvard University. The main priority of this organization is to create an environment for STEM women to interact with other students during meetings, as well as listen to guest women speakers in a STEM field.
Scientista will inaugurate the club onto TCNJ’s campus with a talk from Dr. Randi Freed, an optometrist and clinical researcher studying pituitary tumors. Not only does this organization connect undergraduates with professionals in STEM fields, but also the national organization hosts a yearly weekend-long symposium in New York City, where undergraduates are welcome to present their research, listen to professionals, and ultimately be inspired and motivated to pursue a career in STEM.
Also, this symposium has a poster fair where undergraduate women will present their research and top winners will get awarded with money. In the future, Scientista TCNJ hopes to invite more professional women speakers to give talks as well as bring undergraduate STEM women in contact with other professionals in these fields.