Panel 2: Careers in STEM are also for women 

Why women step away from STEM careers? How important are family support? How important is the role of a STEM teacher? The role of roles models.

Panelists

Panelists

  • Fernando Camino, Brookhaven National Laboratory, CFN
  • Candice Foley, WISE-NSF Program, Suffolk County Comunity College
  • Marie Smulczeski, Lecturer, Suffolk County Comunity College
  • Bingxin Shen, Assistant Professor of Instruction in Computer and Information Sciences, Temple University.
  • Ariana Varuolo-Clarke, Graduate student in Eviromental Science at Stony Brook University.


Bios of the panelists

Fernando Camino received his B.S (1995) and Licentiate (1996) degrees in physics from the National Engineering University in Lima, Peru, and his M.S. (1998) and Ph.D. (2003) degrees in physics from Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, New York. He worked in Prof. Vladimir Goldman’s Quantum Transport Laboratory as a Postdoctoral Research Associate (2003-2005) and Research Scientist (2005-2007). Since 2007, he is part of the scientific staff of the Center for Functional Nanomaterials at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York. His main research interest is the study of quantum effects in the electronic transport of low-dimensional electron systems and nanostructures, which may give opportunities for novel technological applications, and for which unconventional device nanofabrication techniques are usually required.

With over 30 years of experience in both the research and teaching communities on Long Island, Dr. Candice J. Foley endeavors to bring her perspectives of each of these realms to her STEM students at Suffolk County Community College. As the Principal Investigator for Suffolk County Community College’s three consecutive National Science Foundation S STEM scholarship grants, as well as the National Institute of Health IRACDA grant (Institutional Research and Career Development Award), the Leona and Harry Helmsley Foundation NSF Science Education for New Civic Engagement and Responsibility  (SENCER) New York Project, and community college coordinator for the NSF LSAMP grant alliance, Dr. Foley serves as the STEM Coordinator for all SCCC NSF STEM Scholars on three campuses on initiatives that provide community college STEM scholars opportunities to expand their STEM educational goals through scholarships and research internships towards transfer and career.  Dr. Foley has served on national grant projects involving curricular reform for STEM education. Her experience has enabled her to focus upon the adaptation and implementation of these innovations in classroom learning through curricular innovation and technology based software for the community college application and she has delivered workshops at national meetings on curricular innovation and reform.  Dr. Foley served as a delegate to the SUNY Research Foundation Undergraduate Research Steering Committee investigating the persistence of undergraduate students in STEM at the State University of New York (SUNY). She is a charter member of the Empire State STEM Learning Network and the Long Island STEM Hub.

Bingxin Shen received her Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Stony Brook University in 2011. Dr. Shen was an Associate Scientist at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Columbia University Medical Center before joining the CIS Department at Temple University. Dr. Shen had worked with 2017 Nobel Laureate Dr. Joachim Frank from 2011 to 2017 on the determination of the structure of the Ribosome by electron microscopy. She has been a mentor, advisor and lecturer for Columbia/Barnard Amgen Scholars Summer Research Program, and Stony Brook University’s Women in Science and Engineering (WISE).

Ariana Varuolo-Clarke is a second year Master's Student in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Science at Stony Brook University. Her research focuses on improving our understanding of the dynamics of the North American monsoon using observations and climate model simulations. Arianna received her Bachelor of Science in Atmospheric Science from Lyndon State College, a small liberal arts college in northeastern Vermont. She seeks to build a career for herself at the intersection of science, policy, and communication with an emphasis on climate science, impacts, and solutions. Her hobbies include hiking, yoga, going to concerts and talking about climate change with anyone who will listen.