UNLV will celebrate women educators Oct. 13 with a series of campus events that highlight the key role women have and continue to play in the high-tech fields of science and engineering.
Celebrating Pioneering Women in STEM Education is a collaborative effort between Entergy's Nuclear Clean Air Energy program, UNLV's Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering, the College of Sciences, and the Harry Reid Center for Environmental Studies.
Engineering Your Future
2 p.m. - UNLV Science and Engineering Building (SEB) Auditorium
IndyCar driver Simona de Silvestro and Entergy Nuclear CEO John Herron will discuss with the importance of educating new engineers and scientists to ensure the vitality and technological competitiveness of the United States in today's global market. As driver of the Nuclear Clean Energy car, de Silvestro was named the 2010 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year. Her #78 IndyCar will be on display throughout the day outside the SEB.
Honoring Female STEM Educators in Southern Nevada
7:30 p.m. - SEB Auditorium
UNLV will honor local elementary school teacher Sharon Pearson for her contributions to science and engineering education in Southern Nevada. Pearson, a fifth grade teacher at Sandy Searles Miller IB Academy for International Studies in Las Vegas, is a recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Teaching and was named Teacher of the Year by the Clark County School District. Research from several UNLV female faculty members in Science and Engineering will also be on display.
Lise Meitner: A Life in Physics - A Presentation by Ruth Lewin Sime
7:30 p.m. - 9 p.m., SEB Auditorium
Lise Meitner: A Life in Physics, written by Ruth Lewin Sime, tells the story of the Austrian- born physicist who worked on radioactivity and nuclear physics at the dawn of the 20th century. Meitner is universally recognized as a member of the team who discovered nuclear fission; however, when her research partner was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1944, Meitner and her contributions were not recognized. Sime's presentation touches on the ways in which women like Meitner have faced challenges in the male-dominated fields of science, engineering and mathematics.
Sime taught chemistry for over thirty years at Sacramento City College. In 2008, she was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for her current project, a biographical study of Otto Hahn during and after the National Socialist period.
About Nuclear Clean Air Energy and Entergy
Nuclear Clean Air Energy is a national education initiative to broaden awareness of the benefits of safe, clean, affordable and reliable nuclear energy. Entergy is the second largest owner and operator of U.S. nuclear energy plants. For more information: www.entergy-nuclear.com and www.NuclearCleanAirEnergy.com.
