Announcement: Fall STEM events schedule is now available!

STEMinist

News & updates for young women interested in STEM

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October 2, 2020

Hey there,

This month's STEMinist previews all the fantastic events we have in store for you this fall! From fun at-home experiments and activities, to virtually meeting some scientists, to socializing with your fellow STEM students, we've got quite the selection for you. Check out the list below and sign up for any activities that interest you. Also be sure to keep an eye on your inbox for event invitations that we'll be sending to you directly. Spots are limited for some activities so be sure you reserve yours soon!

FALL 2020 CALENDAR OF EVENTS

OCTOBER

Oct. 14 - STEM Academy alumnae present their winning energy challenge project - more details coming soon.

Oct. 25 - Professional Skills Glow-Up with Alicia and Melissa from the STEM Academy

NOVEMBER

Nov. 6 - University of Chicago's Junior Science Cafe - virtual activity with scientists and guest speakers

Nov. 10 - STEM Mentorship Program with Exelon employees and STEM Academy alumnae (for STEM Academy alumnae only)

Nov. 14 - Coded Bias film viewing and chat with the director

Nov. 17 - Field Museum virtual program with guest speakers and climate change discussion

DECEMBER

Dec. 5 - Virtual science activity - build your own generator

Dec. 8 - STEM Mentorship Program with Exelon employees and STEM Academy alumnae

(for STEM Academy alumnae only)

Dec. 18 - virtual social activity featuring game night and STEM holiday crafts - more info TBD

AND! While separate from the Exelon Foundation's sponsored events above, another worthwhile virtual event to check out during the whole month of October is Northern Illinois University's STEMFest. This FREE virtual festival will be full of lots of workshops, videos focused on STEM careers, and live webinars with STEM experts.

There will be many more opportunities to flex your STEM muscles and connect with your friends after the new year as well so stay tuned for more events coming your way in the months ahead.

Some good news in ocean conservation!

Photo by Getty Images: The Seychelles are home to some of the greatest species and last pristine coral reefs in the world.

Located around 994 miles off the coast of East Africa, the Seychelles is an ecological paradise consisting of 115 lush and rocky islands. It spans around 521,000 square miles and is home to some of the world’s last pristine coral reefs and endangered species. Luckily within the past 5 years the Seychelles has gone from protecting 0.04% to 30% of its national waters, covering over 158,000 sq. miles of ocean – an area larger than Germany. That is a sizeable increase in protection for these important waters! This protection ensures that 85% of the Seychelles’ coral reefs and 88% of the nation’s shallow waters are now protected from fishing, oil exploration and other marine development.

Belize has been another global leader in ocean conservation. In August it increased the size of its Sapodilla Cayes reserve to 500 sq. miles to include the Cayman Crown, one of the best preserved reef ecosystems in the region. Found south of the Sapodilla Cayes, the Corona Reef complex (AKA Cayman Crown) is considered one of the most underrepresented habitats in Belize’s marine protected areas system and is home to many endangered species of corals and previously undocumented reef types.

Did you know that environmental stewardship has also been a core value for Exelon?

Successfully managing our environmental impacts strengthens our relationship with our customers and communities. We minimize impacts to watersheds and biodiversity by improving processes to reduce our waste and emissions and by being responsible stewards of

the resources we use. Check out how Exelon continues to mitigate impacts on water resources, protect aquatic ecosystems, and more. (From the table of contents on the site, choose the "Managing Our Environmental Impacts" section.)

Climate Clock in New York City displays

important countdown

The Climate Clock team minutes after the display was switched over on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020. Photo by JEFF BERARDELLI/CBS NEWS

As STEM students, you know first-hand how important it is to take action to mitigate the effects of climate change. To increase awareness, two climate activists, Gan Golan and Andrew Boyd, created a Climate Clock that has recently been displayed in Manhattan's Union Square. The Clock demonstrates a deadline of the years, days, hours, minutes and seconds left to curb greenhouse gas emissions enough to give the Earth a two-thirds chance of staying below 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming, as compared to pre-industrial times. The clock is based on calculations from the carbon clock made by the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC), which uses data from the recent IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C. The countdown is currently at a little over 7 years for humanity to take swift action to address climate change before the effects of global warming become irreversible.

Exelon and our operating companies are sharing fun updates on social media! Be sure to keep in touch and follow us:

Exelon: Facebook | @Exelon on Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram

Constellation: Facebook | @ConstellationEG on Twitter | LinkedIn

ComEd: Facebook | @ComEd on Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram

BGE: Facebook | @MyBGE on Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram

PEPCO: Facebook | @PepcoConnect on Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram

PECO: Facebook | @PECOconnect on Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram