The factors promoting the underrepresentation of girls and women in the STEM talent pipeline often begins early in their education. Despite showing the same levels of ability and aptitude in STEM coursework, girls begin to show less interest in math or science careers when compared to their male peers by age 12. Why are outcomes different between male and female learners when it comes to STEM and how can technology help build equity into STEM education? Following her talk last year on How To Better Rebrand STEM for Girls, Abi shares a solution approach that integrates current research on factors that promote STEM pipeline persistence for females into an AI driven recommender system to deliver personalized learning plans that capitalize on the unique motivations of each learner. Abi Olukeye is the founder of Smart Girls HQ, an organization focused on increasing female participation in the STEM pipeline along the K to 12 learning path. Her digital platform, Raising Smart Girls, has a reach of over 30,000 parents who seek STEM education and personal development resources for their daughters aged 3 to 12. She is currently developing a multi-platform app that transforms the way girls perceive and engage STEM careers by providing personalized informal learning plans that empower parents to connect their daughter’s natural interests to the STEM fields where they can have meaningful impact on people and communities.
Previously, she led Internet Of Things (IOT) strategy development and digital transformation projects at a diversified Fortune 500 manufacturing company. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Virginia Tech and MBA from Indiana University. She and her husband have two young daughters who greatly inspire her to create pathways for girls to succeed at STEM.
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