Cranbrook Institute of Science celebrates women in STEAM with fundraiser

BLOOMFIELD HILLS — Cranbrook Institute of Science will celebrate women in STEAM at their fifth annual Women Rock Science fundraiser.

According to Credit Suisse research, only 3% of STEM industry CEOs are women.

“It is really important that those young girls are feeling inspired and know that they have the support to continue on and that they understand the different careers that are out there for them,” Cranbrook Institute of Science Director of Development Katja Thomakos said.

In order to make these fields more accessible to all students, Cranbrook Institute of Science brings science into the classroom as early as pre-K. They especially put an emphasis on encouraging young women to pursue these fields to help close this gap.

“We would love to see 50-50 parity within STEM and STEAM fields,” Thomakos said.

The Women Rock Science fundraiser began in 2018 and has since raised $750,000. These funds have been used to support over 35,000 children each year in underserved communities in Michigan.

Money is raised at this annual event through general admission tickets and sponsorship packages.

In addition to general community outreach, this year’s funds will go towards a variety of ways to encourage STEAM inclusion, including an inaugural Women in Science lecture series, 10 scholarships to the Institute’s first week-long career boot camp, and 25 summer camp scholarships for girls interested in STEAM at Cranbrook Institute of Science.

“We want to make sure that if there’s a young girl that wants to come to camp, she doesn’t have to worry about that financial burden,” Thomakos said.

Thomakos said this is not a typical fundraiser; it will be much more active. At the event, attendees will have first-hand experience of STEAM education by exploring the museum and taking part in hands-on activities.

Hors d’oeuvres and STEAM-themed cocktails will be served at the event for guests to enjoy.

At this year’s event, three honorees will be recognized for making an impact on STEAM education.

“We do honor three individuals each year who are making a difference in STEAM fields and who are incredibly inspirational, and we really want to celebrate and lift up their voices,” Thomakos said.

Beth Paretta will be honored with the Outstanding Leader Award. Paretta is the CEO/team principal of Paretta Autosport, the first woman-owned, woman-driven and women-forward professional race team in INDYCAR history.

The Outstanding Educator Award will go to Melissa Koronka, a science teacher at the Accelerated Learning Academy of Flint Community Schools. Koronka has been an educator for over 20 years and is dedicated to helping students leave the classroom with valuable skills.

Raven L. Jones, Ph.D., will receive the Rock Star Award at the fundraiser. Jones is an associate professor for the Department of Teacher Education at Michigan State University.

“It gives me a wonderful opportunity to just work and learn alongside my students who have all these wonderful ideas about what the future of education will look like as it relates to STEAM and STEM careers,” Jones said. “And that makes me excited, because I think children are the bravest people in the world.”

Throughout her career, Jones has been passionate about developing curricular choices and anti-racist thinking modules and materials.

Jones is intentional about collaborating in meaningful ways to add to the narrative of the importance of exposure to STEAM careers. She does this through debate and education through the National Council of Teachers of English and through working with different research collaboratives at MSU and other spaces throughout Detroit Public Schools.

In 2017, the Zuri Reads Initiative, named after Jones’ daughter, was created to build more literacy-based experiences for Detroit-area families.

“I am always encouraging students to remove their biases and to think about how literature alone can help students understand that matter and that they have a place at the table and that they should be able to engage in art and meaningful projects to help them better experience schooling and education,” Jones said.

Tickets can be purchased for the Women Rock Science fundraiser for $100 or $250. The fundraiser is not exclusive to women; all genders are welcome.

For more information on the event and purchasing tickets, visit science.cranbrook.edu.