GIRLS 4 SCIENCE WELCOMES NEW BOARD MEMBERS |
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Girls 4 Science is excited to announce three new members of its Board of Directors, elected at the November 2020 meeting: Susan Rogers, MD, FACP, President, Physicians for a National Health Program; Riva R. Trivedi, Private Equity Associate at Waud Capital Partners; and Jacqueline Williams, Executive Director, African American Arts Alliance. Girls 4 Science is pleased to introduce Dr. Susan Rogers; other Board members will be spotlighted in future issues of the Newsletter.
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Riva R. Trivedi
Private Equity Associate at Waud Capital Partners
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Jacqueline Williams
Executive Director, African American Arts Alliance
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Susan Rogers, MD, FACP
Physicians for a National Health Program
Susan Rogers, MD, FACP is the President of Physicians for a National Health Program, which advocates for universal, comprehensive single-payer national health insurance and believes that access to high-quality health care is a right of all people and should be provided equitably as a public service rather than bought and sold as a commodity.
Dr. Rogers recently retired from Stroger Hospital of Cook County. While at Stroger, she was co-director of medical student programs for the Department of Medicine and received numerous teaching awards from students and residents. She is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Rush University, where she continues to be an active member of the Committee on Admissions. Dr. Rogers received her medical degree from the University of Illinois College of Medicine and completed her residency at Cook County Hospital, where she served an additional year as Chief Resident.
Dr. Rogers is a national board member of Physicians for a National Health Program and a past co-president of Health Care for All Illinois. She was Medical Director of the Near North Health Service Corp, a Federally Qualified Health Center in Chicago, and remained on its board for many years after she stepped down as Medical Director. Dr. Rogers is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and a member of the National Medical Association.
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Girls 4 Science received a grant from the Avantor Foundation to support the High School program of the Saturday STEM Academy in 2021. G4S began offering separate classes for high school students (grades 9-12) with the Winter session on Microbiology. Curriculum development is more rigorous with enhanced, age-appropriate curriculum, evaluation, and hands-on, experiential learning activities. |
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Avantor®, a Fortune 500 company, is a leading global provider of mission-critical products and services to customers in the biopharma, healthcare, education, and government, and advanced technologies and applied materials industries. Avantor believes that the best way to ensure the future of science is by investing in science education. Yet the number of students pursuing science and technology degrees, especially among women and minorities, is low. To help address this, the Avantor Foundation funds community-based organizations that teach science and technology to underserved high school students. The Avantor Foundation’s mission is to create a better world by advancing science education and providing healthcare to those in need. |
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Winter 2021 Saturday STEM Academy |
Girls 4 Science kicked off 2021 with the Winter Saturday STEM Academy on Microbiology, which was a huge success. There were 84 middle school and 34 high school students who attended via the Zoom platform, including several girls from out of state. |
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Winter Saturday STEM Academy Middle School Class |
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Students received their own 52-piece Microscope Kit, supplies to grow and study bacteria and a Laboratory Journal to record their observations. Thanks to a donation from POWER Masks for Humanity, we were able to distribute PPE during the STEM Kit pick up. |
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Students in 4th-8th grade attended class from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and students in 9th-12th grade attended class from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Age-appropriate curriculum was developed for each group and Supplemental Materials were provided each week to enhance the learning experience. Students who attended all six classes and completed all of the class evaluations received a Certificate of Completion for their STEM portfolio.
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Natasha Carter, Program Coordinator at the Olive Harvey location, distributes STEM kits for the Winter Saturday STEM Academy on Microbiology. |
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Girls 4 Science would like to acknowledge the Female STEM Role Models who generously gave their time to talk about their education and career path and answer questions from the girls. |
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Ashorina Houma, BA, Biotechnology Master's Program at Rush University
Ashorina Houma is a student at Rush Graduate University pursuing a Master’s in Biotechnology. She was born and raised in Chicago and attended North Park University where she received a Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry. From the beginning of her college career, she knew she wanted to pursue medicine and science. Throughout her childhood, she would participate in science fairs and was always fascinated by how science goes hand in hand with the human body and the passion for helping others. This passion continued to grow stronger and only continues to grow. In the future, Ashorina hopes to attend medical school.
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Melody Fang, Medical Student, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University
Melody Fang is a 4th-year medical student at Chicago Medical School – Rosalind Franklin University and will train to become an emergency medicine physician after graduation. She is the first in her family to pursue medicine, grew up in California, and moved to Chicago four years ago. Melody is passionate about mentoring and teaching others, especially those who are interested in the medical and science fields.
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Diana Stewart, Research Microbiologist, Food & Drug Administration
Diana Stewart joined FDA in 2001 as a biologist and is currently a Research Microbiologist in the Division of Food Processing Science & Technology at the Moffett Campus just outside of Chicago, IL. Over the years she has worked on a wide variety of projects including developing and evaluating improved viral and bacterial pathogen analysis for foods, assessing recovery protocols for food processing environments, evaluating inactivation methods for pathogens in foods, and studying the behavior and survival of pathogens in foods and the environment. Currently she is exploring the survival of Listeria monocytogenes in nut and seed butters, the effect of citric acid treatment on Listeria-contaminated peeled hard cooked eggs, and understanding the variables affecting recovery and detection of Listeria via environmental sampling.
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Marsha Speed, Industry Director, Thermo Fisher Scientific
Marsha Speed was with Grainger Industrial Supplies for 26 years, retiring in 2019 as Sales Vice President, where she had responsibility for 150+ employees and $375M in sales. Marsha was called out of retirement after three months to take on an Industry Director position with Thermo Fisher Scientific. In this role, she negotiates contracts and leads strategic initiatives with industrial customers in support of their research, quality and chemical labs. Marsha holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing/Management from DePaul University and an MBA, specializing in Entrepreneurship, from Kennesaw State University. She has a passion for mentoring and believes in paying it forward!
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Sheila Black, Epidemiologist II, Cook County Department of Public Health
Sheila Black was born and raised in Kentucky, received her undergraduate degree from Kentucky State University, a graduate degree from Roosevelt University, and Certification in Epidemiology from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention training center in Denver, Colorado. Ms. Black has worked in the public health sector for more than 27 years, first as an epidemiologist for the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department in Lexington, KY, and currently for the Cook County Department of Public Health. She has experience working in the STI section of the Communicable Disease Unit and Immunization Unit and has worked as a health educator in the Tobacco Prevention section of the Chronic Disease Unit.
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The Winter 2021 session of the Saturday STEM Academy was supported, in part, with a grant from Camelot Illinois. |
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Eleanore Eckstrom, Director of Product Development, Nature’s Fynd
Eleanore Eckstrom is the Director of Product Development at Nature's Fynd, a vegan food company that uses a novel ingredient (nutritional fungi protein), called Fy. Fy is grown in Chicago, historically the world’s center of protein and food production, at the very place once known as the meatpacking center of the world – Chicago’s Union Stockyards. Ms. Eckstrom works with a small team to develop vegan meat and dairy products. After completing her degree in Chemical Engineering at Montana State University in Bozeman, Eleanore worked in the semiconductor industry in Portland, Oregon. After a career training course and a year of working as an event coordinator, she found a passion for Food Science and returned to school for a graduate degree in Dairy Products Technology at Cal Poly State University in San Luis Obispo, California. She worked for 12 years at Kraft Foods (now Kraft Heinz) as a product and process developer for Philadelphia Cream Cheese and Just Crack an Egg products before taking the leap into the start-up world to join Nature's Fynd.
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Girls 4 Science
Welcomes Our New
Program Director
DOMINIQUE PATTERSON
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Dominique Patterson earned her Bachelors of Science degree in Chemistry from the dynamic HBCU Lane College. She went on to earn her Master of Science degree in Chemistry from the outstanding University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee. Since earning her master's degree, Dominiques has spent her career educating the diverse youth population in science and literacy working as an instructor and tutor. She also supports youth community engagement.
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Girls 4 Science thanks all of the supporters who contributed to our very successful #GivingTuesday campaign. We exceeded our goal with more than $10,000 in donations! A special shout out to the following individuals for raising money for Girls 4 Science on their personal #GivingTuesday fundraising pages: |
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· Alpha Omega Alpha, Delta Chapter at Chicago Medical School, Jordan Newman organizer
· Alan Brazil
· Natasha Carter
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· Janice Feinberg
· Grace Junge
· Dominique Patterson
· Susan Rogers
· Danielle Zuhlke-Smith
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The G4S Alumni Association page provides professional development resources -- including video tutorials on interview help, professional networking, resume writing, and self-assessment tools -- and volunteer opportunities with Girls 4 Science. G4S Alumni are encouraged to stay connected by joining the Girls 4 Science Alumni Group on Facebook and Instagram, and subscribing to the G4S Alumni Newsletter, which will feature alumni spotlights, news and achievements related to women in STEM, and updates from current Girls 4 Science programs. The newsletter will also include information about local networking opportunities and provide tips to help G4S alum succeed in college, careers, and beyond.
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**Girls 4 Science is seeking G4S alumni to help with the web page and newsletter. If you are interested contact Jackie Lomax at jlomax@girls4science.org.
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Congratulations
Jackie Lomax!
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The Chicago Defender has named the Girls 4 Science Founder & Executive Director Jackie Lomax
as one of the 2021 Women of Excellence! The award celebrates local African-American women who inspire others through vision and leadership, exceptional achievements, and participation in community service.
Please join the virtual ceremony via Facebook Live on May 21st at 6:00 PM CST via the Chicago Defender's page.
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Truman College hosted a panel discussion on February 25, 2021, during Black History Month as a segue into Women’s History Month to discuss how exposure, experiences, and even implicit biases that young women experience can impact their beliefs about their ability to pursue and excel in the STEM fields. Girls 4 Science Executive Director Jackie Lomax was a panelist along with a G4S Alumna, Sairyia Jemison.
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On March 13, 2021, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Tau Psi Zeta Chapter presented its Organization of the Year award to Girls 4 Science at its Finer Womanhood Scholarship and Awards Presentation.
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Executive Director Jackie Lomax accepts the Organization of the Year award on behalf of Girls 4 Science from Natasha Carter, representative of the Tau Psi Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority. |
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Girls 4 Science Board member Monica Gordon was elected to the Prairie State College District #515 Board of Trustees.
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Monica Gordon, Girls 4 Science Board of Directors |
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Summer 2021 Saturday STEM Academy
Cosmetic Chemistry
Registration Opens May 16
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There are thousands of different cosmetic products on the market, all with different combinations of ingredients. A typical product will contain anything from 15-50 ingredients. But what exactly are we putting on our skin? What do those long names on the ingredient list mean and what do they do?
Learn what cosmetics are made of and more at the Summer Saturday STEM Academy on Cosmetic Chemistry. Classes will be held July 10, 17, 24, 31, August 7, and 14: Grades 4-8 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm; Grades 9-12 from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. Registration opens May 16.
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Your generous donations
help us expand our programs and expose more girls to STEM and the career opportunities available.
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Other Ways to Support G4S
- Sponsor a Saturday STEM Academy session
- Host a Field Trip
- Donate lab supplies
- Provide refreshments for a Saturday STEM Academy
- Sponsor G4S T-shirts with your company logo
- Become a volunteer
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