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Diversity in STE A M www.diversityinsteam.com
COVER STORY
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heresa Oei is a former cheerleader for the New England Patriots. Shes also a PhD candidate in chemical biology at Harvard University. Kayla Rossel formerly cheered for the San Francisco 49ers. After ge@ing a Psy.D. in clinical psychology, she works as a psychologist specializing in eating disorders. Tynesha McClain has a B.S. in chemistry with a minor in mathematics from James Madison University. She's a food technologist whos cheered for the Baltimore Ravens, Baltimore Blast and Chesapeake Bayhawks. Cheerleaders who are STEAM professionals? It bucks stereotypes, but guess what? It's the norm. There are Science Cheerleaders on every NFL and NBA team that employs cheerleaders. These multi-skilled women are the heart and soul of Science Cheerleaders, Inc., a national nonprofit organization of current and former, professional and collegiate cheerleaders who have both degrees and careers in science, technology, engineering and math. Almost every time a girl realizes that I am an engineer and former pro-cheerleader, I can see the light bulb going offin their minds. I know the moment they all of a sudden believe in themselves that maybe one day, they can be a scientist or engineer and also a cheerleader, and its one of the most rewarding feelings, said Samantha Marsillo, director of operations for the Science Cheerleaders, engineer and former Arizona Cardinals cheerleader. Marsillo teams with company founder, Darlene Cavalier, who co-authored The Field Guide to Citizen Science , and Dr. Wendy Brown, who is the director of outreach for the SciCheers, a Biomedical Engineer and former cheerleader for the Oakland Raiders, Sacramento Kings and Atlanta Falcons.
High Kicking the Stereotype
The concept: Science Cheerleaders playfully challenges stereotypes about cheerleaders and women in STEAM. The organization aims to connect with the nation's four million youth cheerleaders through a shared interest in cheerleading while changing perceptions about who scientists are, what they do and who can pursue careers in STEAM. Leveraging the popularity of sports and cheerleading, Science Cheerleaders reach not only girls but also their families and sports fans. Some teams, such as the San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots, Atlanta Falcons and Washington Commanders, feature dozens of cheerleaders pursuing STEAM careers. The Science Cheerleaders facilitate in-person and online events, where cheerleaders perform STEAM-themed choreographed routines, lead hands-on science activities, hold meet and greets, autograph trading cards featuring their STEAM and cheer stats and host cheer workshops. Events range from small, rural locations to nationwide events, such as performing at halftime during a Philadelphia 76ers game and at the USA Science & Engineering Festival in Washington, D.C. Brown was one of the lead researchers for Project MERCCURI (Microbial Ecology Research Connecting Citizen and Universi- ty Researchers on theInternational Space Station (ISS). Her team enlisted the help of 4,000 cheerleaders and sports fans to swab shoes and cell phones for microbes at games and other Science Cheerleader events. This was part of a research and cit- izen science project to learn if and how mi- crobes grow differently in microgravity than on Earth, which is important to understand for long-duration human spaceflight.
1: Science Cheerleaders at the USA Science & Engineering Festival. 2: Dr. Wendy Brown,PhD, director of outreach for Science Cheerleaders, on the field and in the lab. 3: Science Cheerleader Taylor Hooks collecting microbe samples for Project MERCCURI with Pop Warner Cheerleaders.
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