The Women in STEM movement has gained attention over recent years. Women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics at Iowa State work to be proactive in their education and careers.

Iowa State’s Office of the Registrar reports that of the 30,708 students enrolled this year, 59 percent are in STEM programs. They also say that 45 percent of total students are women.

The Women in Science and Engineering program at Iowa State reported that the fall 2020 semester had about 5,000 female students enrolled in STEM majors.

The experience for female STEM students differs from those of their male counterparts. Iowa State students shared their stories and thoughts on being a young woman in STEM.

Ellie Blotsky is a junior majoring in civil engineering. She started at Iowa State as an undecided engineering major, but after speaking with mentors and going through orientation, she decided to pursue civil engineering.

Blotsky interned at the Minnesota Department of Transportation last summer; she said that a lot of her work there focused on creating accessible transportation methods for individuals with disabilities. She noted that this workplace was passionate about creating equal opportunities for women.

Blotsky said she estimates less than half of the civil engineering students at Iowa State are women.

“I thought it was going to be way more [male-oriented] when I was going through orientation,” Blotsky said. “It’s honestly gotten a lot better in recent years.”

Blotsky said sometimes she feels as though the men in her program do not see her as a valuable asset to group work. 

“It’s more like undertones,” Blotsky said. “Like assuming that I didn’t know how to do something. I mean, nobody was flat-out rude to me about it…They kind of give me easy tasks.”

Despite sometimes feeling put in a box by her male classmates, Blotsky said that she still advices young women to pursue educations and careers in STEM. 

“Hold your ground,” Blotsky said. “Knowing your worth, sticking to what you know and being confident with yourself. I think that’s the biggest thing to know when going into a male-based major.”

Ashton Randolph is a junior in electrical engineering who first became interested in her studies in high school.

“My electromagnetics class, there’s four girls out of, I think, 40 people,” Randolph said.

Randolph said that campus resources like the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) tutoring program and the Society for Women Engineers (SWE) cultivate an uplifting community for young women in STEM at Iowa State.

“I would say with picking groups and things like that…It seems like the guys don’t even want to pick you as an option,” Randolph said. “But, I have a lot of friends in my classes that are guys. It’s not everyone, just sometimes.”

Randolph said something that helps her in her program is her support system of fellow female engineering students.

“I have four girls in my classes that I met freshman year, and now we’re still going through electrical engineering together,” Randolph said. “So finding that support system and encouraging each other is important.”

For fellow and future women in STEM, Randolph has a key piece of advice. 

“Don’t get discouraged,” Randolph said. I get hard on myself because I feel like I have to prove myself since there are only four [women] in my classes. There are always opportunities to grow and get better.”

More information about women in STEM majors at Iowa State can be found here.