In 2016, nuclear chemist Clarice Phelps was recognized as the first Black woman involved with the discovery of an element: No. 117, tennessine, which now holds a place on the periodic table. She hopes the visibility the moment afforded her reminds Black girls they can hold a place in science, too.
To hammer the point home, Phelps and Candice Halbert, her colleague atOak Ridge National Laboratoryin Tennessee, spend their off-hours bringing science, technology, engineering and math education to underserved Knoxville-area youth throughYO-STEM, a nonprofit Halbert founded seven years ago.
“Being a Black woman in science is being seen and unseen at the same time,” Phelps, 41, tells PEOPLE. (TheNational Science Foundation reportsthat Black women make up just 2 percent of all scientists and engineers.) “People see you because you stand out, but they un-see you because they don’t think you should be there — some may not see you as being credible or worthy. But I’m supposed to be exactly where I’m at. And I’m leaving a legacy for whoever is coming next.”
Adds Halbert, 42: “Exposing youth to more diverse individuals allows them to pursue these different careers. It’s a two-way street: We’re preparing these students so they can take our place — to hire them and watch them grow.”
They recall a time not long ago that kids, when asked to draw their idea of a scientist, would sketch an older White man. Now, Phelps says, “middle schoolers are drawing more women. It’s a step.”
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Both women credit beloved childhood teachers for opening the doors to what science and math could be for them.
Adds Phelps, “It’s not even that they have to choose this career field, but letting them know it’s an option — and a fun one! — is important. There is so much you can do with a STEM career.”
Halbert and Phelps — both moms who are currently working on their PhDs — hope to expand YO-STEM to kids in cities around the U.S. in the near future.
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source: people.com
