STEM Day Brings Emerson’s Yearlong Efforts Into Focus

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November 8 is Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEM/STEAM) Day — a time when the nation pauses to recognize the importance of these disciplines within our educational curricula. At Emerson, we are committed to supporting STEM initiatives year-round, and STEM Day allows us to reflect on the year’s activities and plan for what’s to come. In a historically male-dominated industry, it’s particularly important for Emerson to celebrate the contributions of women in our organization and create an environment where they can thrive and succeed. Let’s look at some of the ways we’re leveraging STEM initiatives to help create the next generation of engineers and support the increased inclusion of women within our industry.

Women in STEM (WiS) program charter and achievements

Emerson created its global WiS program to attract, develop and retain the top women candidates in STEM-related roles, enhance the diversity of ideas and approaches for the benefit of our customers, and fully deliver on our “Consider It Solved” promise. The program supports generations of women in all stages of their careers, from schoolchildren who are just beginning to think of their futures to professionals and senior executives who are navigating their career paths.

Based on some of the metrics gathered, we are well on our way to achieving the goals of this charter.

• • Membership increased to more than 5,000 global members
  • STEM-related webinar event attendance increased by 60%
  • Local chapter (Sidney, Ohio) membership increased by 10%
  • Launched a new global WiS SharePoint site
  • Ranked as #12 on Women Engineer Magazine’s list of top companies to work for
  • Awarded Gold, Best Practice Outreach and Best Practice Professional Partnerships by the Society of Women Engineers (SWE)

These achievements are indicative of the three guiding principles of our WiS program:

1. Attract and inspire young girls to pursue STEM subjects and careers while recruiting top STEM female candidates to work at Emerson
2. Provide opportunities to develop leadership skills and elevate the visibility for women in STEM-related roles
3. Create an inclusive, connected community where women in STEM feel supported and have a sense of belonging throughout Emerson; provide a platform to highlight women in STEM as role models across Emerson

Emerson’s WiS program enables us to facilitate community outreach throughout our global offices and places of business. For example, the local WiS chapter in our Sidney, Ohio, location includes more than 100 members comprised not only of Sidney branch employees, but also extending out into other local manufacturing and engineering-related companies.

Ongoing commitment to STEM education, activities and events

Even though the past two years have made it difficult to plan and host in-person, STEM-related events, Emerson has continued to develop a series of educational webinars and promotional activities focused on professional development, social networking and STEM outreach to schools and universities. These activities include:

• • Sponsoring a cardboard boat race during the Summer Olympics
  • Celebrating Pi Day with pi-inspired games and the distribution of moon pies
  • Hosting a WiS online trivia event
  • Conducting educational webinars with prominent female executives and keynote speakers

Collectively, these achievements, educational events and promotional activities represent our ongoing commitment to furthering STEM careers and related disciplines — within Emerson and the global workforce. Emerson’s ongoing WiS efforts are having a direct impact on our business, transforming our culture and infusing it with fresh perspectives and insights that make us a more well-rounded and successful organization.