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San Diego Conference Looking To Diversify STEM Workforce

Dianna Cowern also known as "Physics Girl" is pictured in a YouTube video.
Dianna Cowern
Dianna Cowern also known as "Physics Girl" is pictured in a YouTube video.
San Diego Conference Looking To Diversify STEM Workforce
GUESTS: Dianna Cowern, science outreach coordinator, UC San Diego Peter Callstrom, president and CEO, San Diego Workforce Partnership

THERE IS A CONVENTION IN TOWN OF PEOPLE EXCITED ABOUT THE JOBS IN CREATED IN THE STEM FIELDS. THAT IS JOBS EMPLOYING SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY ENGINEERING AND MATH SKILLS. THE REASON THE STEM SOLUTIONS LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE IS MEETING AT ALL IS BECAUSE THERE IS STILL A SHORTAGE OF AMERICAN WORKERS TO FILL STEM JOBS. AND THERE HAS BEEN VERY LITTLE SUCCESS IN TRYING TO GET MORE WOMEN AND MINORITIES IN STEM JOBS DESPITE MORE THAN A DECADE OF TRYING. SO WHAT IS THE ANSWER? TWO PEOPLE PARTICIPATING IN THE CONFERENCE AND WORKING TO COME UP WITH SOLUTIONS JOIN ME NOW. PETER COLLIS FROM IS THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE SAND DIEGO WORKFORCE PARTNERSHIP WILL COME BACK TO THE SHOW. THANK YOU. DIANA COWERING, A.K.A. "PHYSICS GIRL", SCIENCE OUTREACH CORNET OR UC SAN DIEGO. WELCOME. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. PETER, EDUCATORS, EMPLOYERS, POLICYMAKERS ARE ALL TAKING PART IN THIS CONFERENCE. YOU SEE IS THE FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEM IN TRYING TO FILL STEM INDUSTRY JOBS? THERE IS A NUMBER OF CHALLENGES OUT THERE. A LOT OF IT COMES DOWN TO PROVIDING OF ACCESS TO ALL YOUTH WHO ARE COMING UP AND EATING EDUCATION NECESSARY TO ACCESS GREAT CAREERS IN STEM. THERE IS A LOT OF GREAT EDUCATION GOING ON OUT THERE BUT IT IS SUCH A COMPLEX FIELD OF FIELDS AND TO BE ABLE TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE A RESOURCE AND ACCESS TO MORE OF THE UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT. WHAT ABOUT HERE IN SAN DIEGO? WE ARE AS A COMMUNITY SO FOCUS ON BIOTECH RESEARCH RELATED INDUSTRIES. WE ARE A HELP OF THAT KIND OF INDUSTRY HERE IN SAN DIEGO. REPRODUCING ENOUGH WORKERS TO PRODUCE THE DEMAND THE VERY INDUSTRY THAT WE HAVE HERE? THERE IS DEFINITELY A TALENT GAP. THIS IS WHY THIS CONFERENCE IS SO IMPORTANT AND OTHERS BECAUSE THE MORE WE CAN DO NOW TO INVEST IN A YOUNG PERSON WHO MAY OR MAY NOT BE INTERESTED IN STEM BUT GIVE THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO KNOW WHAT THAT IS ALL ABOUT AND WHAT THOSE CAREERS ARE HIM AND THAT IS WHERE WE COME IN BECAUSE WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING AT A REGION TO FIND OUT WHAT THOSE IN DEMAND STIMULATED CAREERS OR. WE PRODUCED A NUMBER OF REPORTS THAT ARE AVAILABLE ON A WEBSITE, WORK FORCE.WORK THAT ARE FREE TO THE PUBLIC. THIS IS IN AVENUE FOR A YOUNG PERSON BECAUSE IF A YOUNG PERSON DOESN'T KNOW WHAT CAREERS ARE THAT ARE OUT THERE HOW CAN THEY ASPIRE TO WHAT THIS MIGHT BE? THAT IS WHERE WE COME IN AND IT IS ALL ABOUT INFORMING THE PUBLIC AND THEN THROUGH THE EDUCATION SYSTEM, KEITH REPORTING, THE MORE WE CAN DO TO EXPOSE YOUNG PERSONS THEY CAN MAKE THEIR OWN CHOICE. IT IS NOT FOR EVERYBODY BUT LET'S PUT IT OUT THERE IN TURN MORE AND MORE YOUTH ONTO THESE OPPORTUNITIES. DIANA, WHEN YOU HEAR THAT THERE HAS BEEN ESSENTIALLY NO IMPROVEMENT IN THE NUMBER OF WOMEN IN STEM INDUSTRIES IN THE PAST 13 YEARS WHAT DO YOU ATTRIBUTE THAT TO? I THINK I WOULD ATTRIBUTE IT TO A NUMBER OF FACTORS. ONE IS A SOCIETAL PRESSURE ON A YOUNG WOMAN TO NOT GO INTO STEM FIELDS THEY ARE EITHER DISCOURAGED WHEN THEY ARE MUCH YOUNGER OR THEY ARE NOT ENCOURAGED BY PARENTS AND TEACHERS AND THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE MOST INFLUENCE ON THOSE YOUNG MINDS. AND YOU SEE THAT PUSH MORE TOWARDS YOUNG BOYS STUDYING MATH OR PLAYING WITH LEGOS OR DOING THINGS THAT WE THINK OF AS ENGINEERING RELATED. THAT PUSH IS NOT PRESENT NEARLY AS MUCH FOR GIRLS. YOUR "PHYSICS GIRL" CHANNEL ON YOUTUBE GETS AN AWFUL LOT OF HITS. THE ONE ON POOL FOR TEXAS HAS MORE THAN 3 MILLION VIEWS. LET'S HEAR A LITTLE FROM THAT VIDEO. CHECK THIS OUT. I'M JUST GOING TO DRAG THIS PLAY THROUGH THE WATER IN THE POOL. THAT IS A. BUT LOOK WHAT FORMS. PERFECT BLACK CIRCLES ON THE BOTTOM OF THE POOL. IT IS SO WEIRD. THEY DON'T DIE. THEY JUST KEEP GOING RIGHT NEXT TO EACH OTHER. THE CIRCLES TOOK THREE MINUTES TO CROSS THE POOL AND DIDN'T SEEM TO BE DYING OUT. HE'S GOT SHARPER AS THEY WENT AND MADE IT ALL THE WAY A CROSSED. SO COOL. LOOK CLOSER. YOU CAN SEE WHAT IS CAUSING THEM. THERE ARE TWO ALMOST UNNOTICEABLE TIPS IN THE SURFACE OF THE WATER. I DON'T THINK I OUT? HOW TO THESE DARK SPOTS FORM? WHY DID THE DIPS MOVE TOGETHER? SO MANY QUESTIONS! SO MANY QUESTIONS. [ LAUGH ] THAT IS GREAT. VIDEO IS ON THE "PHYSICS GIRL" YOUTUBE CHANNEL AND ARE GREATER TELL US MORE ABOUT WHY YOU STARTED THIS WEBSITE AND IS CHANNEL. THANK YOU SO MUCH FIRST OF ALL. I STARTED IT INITIALLY BECAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT TO DO WITH MY PHYSICS DEGREE. I HAD ONE OF THE PROBLEMS THAT PETER WAS TALKING ABOUT, WHEN I WAS YOUNGER I HAD NO IDEA WHAT ENGINEERING WAS. NO ONE TOLD ME. I DIDN'T KNOW UNTIL I GOT TO COLLEGE BUT AT THAT POINT I HAVE DECIDED TO STUDY PHYSICS. I WASN'T SURE WHAT TO DO WITH THAT PHYSICS DEGREE. THE FIRST VIDEO I MADE WAS A PURITY OF THAT DECISION-MAKING PROCESS ONCE YOU GRADUATE WHAT DO YOU DO WITH YOUR DEGREE? THAT WAS THE INITIAL VIDEO. I ALSO DECIDED THAT HAVE ALSO WAS JUST ALWAYS BEEN INTERESTED INTO MEDICATING SCIENCE SO I WOULD START TO MAKE SOME OTHER VIDEOS THAT ANSWERED THE PHONE QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW THE UNIVERSE WORKS FOR SHOWED EXPERIMENTS YOU CAN DO AT HOME. THOSE CAUGHT ON. THOSE SCOTT AL-OMAR ATTENTION. I THINK IT STARTED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO PEOPLE WHO WERE HAVING TROUBLE GETTING THEIR KIDS INTERESTED IN PHYSICS OR GETTING THEM TO EXPLORE SCIENCE FOR THEMSELVES. AND START TO ASK QUESTIONS FOR THEMSELVES RATHER THAN BEING FORCED TO STUDY SOME OF THE BORING TOPICS YOU ARE FORCED TO LEARN IN SCHOOL. WHAT GOT YOU INTERESTED IN SCIENCE, DIANA? THAT IS A GREAT QUESTION. IT STARTED OUT WITH AN INTEREST IN MATH. AND THEN PHYSICS AND OTHER SCIENCES ARE SORT OF THE NEXT STEP. THEY WERE MATH APPLIED TO THE REAL WORLD. I WAS ALWAYS INTERESTED IN MATH BUT SCIENCE WAS ABLE TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS I HAD LIKE WHY IS THE SKY BLUE AND THEN WHEN YOU ANSWER THAT IT IS BECAUSE BLUELIGHT SCATTERS MORE THAN OTHER CALLERS OF LIGHT. WHY DOES LIGHT SCATTER MORE? IT IS LIKE THE RABBIT HOLE OF QUESTIONS. SCIENCE IS ABLE TO ANSWER THOSE FOR YOU. PETER, DO THINK THERE'S A PROBLEM WITH WAY SCIENCE AND MATH AND THE OTHER STEM SUBJECTS ARE TAUGHT IN SCHOOL? THEY DON'T REALLY SORT OF INSPIRE THIS KIND OF LIFELONG DESIRE? MAYBE SO. FIRST OF ALL I JUST WANT TO THINK DIANA FOR WHAT SHE IS DOING. I AM A FATHER OF TWO YOUNG DAUGHTERS WHO ARE SEVEN AND 12 AND TO TURN THE MONTWOOD DIANA IS TALKING ABOUT IS EXCITING. THERE ARE SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES ONCE YOU CAN BE TURNED ON TO THE EXCITEMENT THAT IS WITHIN THESE STEM RELATED FIELDS. WITHIN EDUCATION, NO EDUCATION THEY ARE REALLY TRYING TO BE PROGRESSIVE. CINDY MARTIN, THE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE SAN DIEGO UNIFIED IS FULLY PRESSING FORWARD. ALL OF THE SUPERINTENDENT'S ACROSS THE COUNTY ARE WELL AWARE OF WHAT THIS IS AND THERE'S A THING CALLED THE IN GSS -- THE NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE -- YES. BEING ABLE TO ADOPT THAT THROUGH THE LOCAL PLAN THAT IS COMING OUT OF SACRAMENTO IS REALLY IMPORTANT. WITH RENEWABLE TO APPLY THOSE HEALTH EDUCATION TO REALLY EXPAND HOW THEY ARE GOING ABOUT DOING THIS. I'M INTERESTED IN ONE THING THAT YOU SAID, DIANA. YOU SAID SOCIALLY THERE IS ALMOST A DISINCENTIVE FOR YOUNG GIRLS TO GET INVOLVED IN ANY OF THE SCIENCES. WHY IS THAT? HOW IS THAT EXPRESSED SOCIETALLY? I THINK IT'S CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO MANY DIFFERENT FACTORS BUT ONE IS JUST THIS FEEDBACK LOOP OF SEEING FEWER WOMEN IN STEM FIELDS. AND ASSUMING THAT MEANS MAYBE GIRLS ARE NOT INTERESTED IN STEM FIELDS. YOU SEE THE STEREOTYPE OF A SCIENTIST WHICH IS A WHITE MALE AND ONCE YOU SEE THAT YOU MIGHT ASSUME THAT IS THE TYPE OF CHILD YOU SHOULD PUSH TO STUDY SCIENCE. THAT MUST BE THE TYPE OF PERSON THAT IS INTERESTED IN SCIENCE. I THINK THAT FEEDS BACK ON ITSELF AND ATTRIBUTES TO WHY GIRLS ARE NOT ENCOURAGED OR PUSHED TO EXPLORE SOME OF THESE STEM FIELDS. THERE IS ALSO A SIMILAR PROBLEM IN GETTING MINORITY STUDENTS INTERESTED IN PURSUING STEM FIELDS. AGAIN, IS UP WELL DOWN TO WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN SAYING ABOUT ADDRESSING PEOPLE ABOUT WHAT IS AVAILABLE AND WHAT THESE CAREERS ARE? THAT IS IT. WHAT EDUCATION IS DOING LOCALLY, BIG KUDOS TO OUR BUSINESS LEADERS, QUALCOMM IN PARTICULAR. THEY CREATED THE NEW THINK OF IT LAB THAT IS A PLAY ON THEIR ORIGINAL PING -- NAME. INC. A BIT IS A THINKER SPACE THAT BRINGS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL KIDS TO EXPOSE THEM TO A DAY OF TINKERING AND PLAYING AND WORKING WITH A PROGRAMMING DEVICE SO THEY CAN MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN AND TO BRING THE KIDS IN, THIS IS A SMART INVESTMENT BY QUALCOMM, TO EXPOSE LOCAL YOUTH TO THESE GREAT CAREERS. WHO KNOWS HOW MANY WILL GO DOWN THAT PATH BUT THAT A SMART. THAT IS TALENT DEVELOP. EVEN BEYOND THAT, THAT HIS CITIZENSHIP. THEY ARE REALLY MAKING A CHOICE IN ORDER TO INVEST IN YOUTH INTO BRINGING YOUTH FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTY. JUST IN THE PAST YEAR THEY BROUGHT IN OVER 3000 KIDS IN TO THINK OF IT. I THINK MAYBE IN THE READING I HAVE DONE THERE IS ALSO THE IDEA THAT MANY YOUNG PEOPLE THINK THEY'RE GOING TO BE IN SCHOOL FOREVER AND IT IS GOING TO COST A FORTUNE IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO QUALIFY TO ENTER ANY OF THESE FIELDS. A COMMUNITY COLLEGE IN OCEANSIDE IS JUST STARTING TO OFFER BACHELORS DEGREES IN BIO MANUFACTURING. IS THAT IN PART TO COUNTER THIS IDEA THAT YOU JUST HAVE TO BE IN SCHOOL FOREVER AND YOU ARE GOING TO OH THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS? SOMETIMES YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. AT THE SAME TIME BEING IN SCHOOL FOR A LONG TIME IS NOT A BAD THING. YOU CAN CREATE SUCH A BODY OF KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITY THAT WILL KEEP YOU EMPLOYABLE. SOME PEOPLE CAN'T. COMMITTEE COLLEGES HAVE REALLY STEPPED UP TO BE VERY INNOVATIVE IN THAT WAY AND KEEP COSTS LOW. THERE ARE DIFFERENT PATHWAYS FOR EVERYBODY TO GET TO THE STEM POSITIONS BUT IT IS NOT ALWAYS A VERY HIGH-END PROGRAMMING PERSON OR PHYSICS PERSON OR WHATEVER IT MAY BE, THERE IS A LOT OF POSITIONS WITHIN THESE STEM FIELDS THAT MAY EVEN BE SUPPORT JOBS. THIS IS WHERE WE COME IN. IS CAN BE A SALESPERSON OR THE SUPPORT STAFF. WHATEVER IT MAY BE THAT SUPPORTS THE ENTIRE WORLD OF STEM CAREERS IN OUR REGION. THERE ARE OVER 6000 UNFILLED CODING JOBS IN OUR COUNTY RIGHT NOW. PEOPLE CAN ACCESS TO THOSE THROUGH TRAINING. THEY DON'T ALWAYS HAVE TO BE A PHD IN COMPUTER SCIENCE. IF YOU LEARN TO CODE ENOUGH YOU CAN GET AN ENTRY-LEVEL POSITION AND OFF YOU GO. THERE IS A LOT OF DIFFERENT AVENUES TO GET THERE. SOMETIMES A TWO-YEAR DEGREE, A FOUR YEAR PHD OR WHATEVER IT MAY BE, IF SOMEBODY IS DETERMINED TO DO IT AND THEY EXPLORE WHAT IS OUT THERE AND FIND OUT AND GO THROUGH AN ASSESSMENT, THAT IS ANOTHER IMPORTANT THING, IF THEY CAN REALLY FIND OUT IF THIS IS FOR THEM AND STARTING WITH AN ASSESSMENT OF THEIR OWN SKILLS AND VALUES, THAT WILL REALLY HELP THEM DETERMINE. OTHERWISE THEY MAY WASTE THEIR TIME IN THAT LINE OF WORK WHEN THEY REALLY HAVE A PASSION FOR SOMETHING ELSE. THAT IS OKAY. FIND YOUR PASSION. EXACTLY. DIANA, YOU PARTICIPATED IN THE STEM LEADERSHIP SOLUTIONS CONFERENCE. WHAT KIND OF SOLUTIONS YOU PROPOSE? I THINK A LOT OF THE SOLUTIONS START WITH THE FAMILIES. FOR JUST THE LISTENERS OF THIS SHOW. ANY YOUNG PERSON IN YOUR LIFE, ANY OF YOU OR ANY FRIENDS DAUGHTER, ENCOURAGE THEM TO START EXPLORING. DO HANDS-ON EXPERIMENTS WITH THEM. SHOW THEM FUN SCIENCE VIDEOS. EVEN THOUGH MY ARE SOME OF THE OLDER SHOWS ARE STILL LESS EXCITING TO KIDS. JUST START EXPOSING THEM TO SCIENCE, ENGINEERING AND MAKE THINGS WITH THEM. GO TO THE HARDWARE STORE AND PICK UP A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT MATERIALS AND SAY LET'S MAKE SOMETHING TODAY INSTEAD OF PLAYING VIDEO GAMES OR WATCHING TV. I THINK ONE OF THE BIGGEST SOLUTIONS COMES FROM STARTING TO ENGAGE YOUTH IN SOME ACTIVITIES. IT MUST BE VERY FRUSTRATING FOR YOU AS THE CEO OF THE WORKPLACE -- WORK FORCE PARTNERSHIP TO HAVE THESE JOBS AVAILABLE IN NOT BEING ABLE TO FIND PEOPLE IN SAN DIEGO TO FILL THEM? THAT IS A GREAT POINT. IT IS A FRUSTRATION BUT AN OPPORTUNITY NOW. YOU KNOW HOW FAR WE HAVE COME FROM 2008 WHEN EVERYTHING FELL APART AND OUR UNEMPLOYMENT WAS IN THE LOW TEENS AND NOW WE ARE DOWN TO 5% AND EVERYTHING IS REALLY GOING GREAT. THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND JOB SEEKERS IF THEY WANT TO GET INTO THESE CAREERS THERE IS AN AVENUE FOR IT. WE ARE INVESTING IN OUR YOUTH SO WE CAN HAVE THAT TALENT PIPELINE IN THE FUTURE. IT IS FRUSTRATING BECAUSE WE WANT PEOPLE TO ACCESS THESE GREAT JOBS. WE WENT THE LOCAL COMPANIES TO HIRE LOCALLY AND NOT HAVE TO RECRUIT FROM ELSEWHERE. BEFORE WE LEAVE I WANT TO GIVE A GREAT CALL OUT TO US NEWS AND WORLD REPORT FOR PUTTING ON THIS CONFERENCE. THEY ARE INVESTING THEIR TIME AND ENERGY INTO BRINGING PEOPLE FROM ALL OF THE COUNTRY IN THE WORLD AND PUTTING IT A GREAT PUBLICATIONS FOR PARENTS IF PEOPLE GO TO THEIR SITE AT US NEWS THERE IS A PARENTS GUIDE TO STEM CAREERS. JUST ASK DIANA WAS MENTIONING, DIFFERENT WAYS YOU CAN ENGAGE YOUTH IN WHAT IS OUT THERE. AGAIN, IT IS ALL ABOUT EXPOSURE. THEY CAN PLAY WITH IT AND FIND OUT IF IT IS FOR THEM. IF NOT IT'S OKAY BUT IT IS ALL ABOUT EXPOSURE. THAT IS THE U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT WEBSITE. YES US NEWS.COM WILL GET IN THERE. TERRIFIC. I HAVE BEEN SPEAKING WITH PETER CALVES FROM OF THE SAN DIEGO WORKFORCE PARTNERSHIP, DIANA CALLAN OF -- A.K.A. "PHYSICS GIRL", THE SITE OUTREACH COORDINATOR AT UC SAN DIEGO. THANK YOU BOTH VERY MUCH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

Tackling the problem of how to staff jobs in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math, a San Diego conference is also looking at ways to get more women and minorities into those jobs.

The STEM Solutions National Leadership Conference sponsored by the U.S. News and World Report started Monday in San Diego.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, only 16 percent of U.S. students are proficient in math and are interested in a STEM career.

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The latest research from the Pew Research Center ranks American high school seniors 35th in math and 27th in science among other developed and developing countries.

Research by the National Science Board suggests there has been little success in attracting women and minorities to STEM careers, despite a growing need for workers in those fields, and a push by the federal government to train students for such careers.

Dianna Cowern, who is known on YouTube as “Physics Girl,” is the science outreach coordinator for UC San Diego. She thinks there are less women in STEM fields because of societal pressure.

“They are either discouraged when they are much younger or they are not encouraged,” Cowern told KPBS Midday Edition on Tuesday. “You see the stereotype of a scientist, which is a white male.”

Peter Callstrom, president and CEO of the San Diego Workforce Partnership, said it’s important to provide access to STEM education to all communities.

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“There’s definitely a talent gap out there,” Callstrom said. “There are over 6,000 coding jobs in our county right now.”

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