Celebrating women and girls in STEM with worldwide partners

Did you know women make up half of the U.S. college-educated workforce, but, according to Gallup, just 34% of the STEM workforce? While women remain underrepresented in fast-growing STEM sectors, programs and initiatives aiming to cultivate future female STEM leaders are making strides in reaching students with a passion for discovery.

At PPG, we support programs around the world that seek to close the STEM gender gap through hands-on science learning, opportunities for our female employees to serve as mentors and role models, and by sharing the possibilities and progress that a diverse STEM field holds.

“As we recognize International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month in March, we reflect on the work of our partners, employees and global giving to expose girls to STEM inspiration and awareness at an early age and support the next generation of diverse STEM leaders pursuing their post-secondary studies,” said Malesia Dunn, executive director, PPG Foundation and corporate global social responsibility.

Read on to learn about some of our recent PPG Foundation and PPG partners who are creating engaging STEM learning opportunities.

• Girls Inc.: The PPG Foundation teamed up with four Girls Inc. affiliates in Huntsville, Alabama; the Southwest Wisconsin area; Atlanta, Georgia; and Tarrant County, Texas to create STEM programming. In Wisconsin, Girls Inc. created the STEM Squad middle school program and the Girls Empowered by Math and Science (GEMS) conference, a daylong STEM learning event for 450 middle school girls. Meanwhile in Atlanta and Huntsville, the PPG Foundation supported the Eureka! STEM program, an initiative designed to build girls’ confidence and skills through hands-on opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math. Across the locations, the Eureka! Program included exploration of Black women in STEM fields and careers; coding workshops, a drone camp, introductions to AI and virtual reality, weekly field trips, classes at local colleges and more.
• RedChairPGH: In Pittsburgh, RedChairPGH, a network of individuals who are committed to creating gender balance in the Pittsburgh technology professions, collaborated with Women in Tech PGH, PAWomenWork and other community partners to plan a comprehensive, multi-faceted workforce re-entry program. The program was designed to re-skill women of color in Pittsburgh so they can re-enter the workforce prepared to gain employment in project coordination or management and achieve a living wage to support their families. From an online study course resulting in a Google Project Management Certification to multi-faceted pre- and post-employment support, scholarships for the program were provided through the PPG Foundation's support.
• Frontiers of Flight: The PPG Foundation partnered with this organization to create the PPG Aerospace-STEM Challenge for Girls and provide access for girls from low-income neighborhoods to consider a career directly related to space in fields like engineering, mechanics, technology, coding, flight, science, business or design.
• Casa Hacker: PPG teamed up with the organization for its ‘Girls in Tech’ program in Sumaré, Brazil, to support students pursuing advanced STEM studies.
• ASTI Talent And Technology Foundation: In Spain, our female scientists work with the STEM Talent Girl Program to provide first-hand accounts of the exciting world of STEM careers. Through PPG site visits, virtual workshops and more, young female students connect with potential career opportunities.

To learn more about how PPG and the PPG Foundation supported STEM education initiatives in 2023, click here.