Women in STEM Club
Women in STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) is a club on Vincennes University’s campus focused on helping female science, technology, engineering and math majors get ready to enter the workforce while being a minority in their field of study.
Emily Rheinheimer, president of the club, architecture, Angola, said one misperception about women in STEM is that women may not be cut out for the work.
“When you’re in a classroom there may be one female there compared to 12 guys, so a lot of the time the female is looked over…it may be awhile until she gets that respect,” said Rheinheimer.
With the STEM Club being fairly new to VU, they are starting to reach out to local middle schools and high schools.
One approach the club is taking to get more female students interested in science, technology, engineering and math majors is to introduce them to potential scholarships.
The only requirement that is needed to apply for these scholarships is to be a female in a STEM area of study. For students looking to join the club, however, all majors are welcome.
Rheinheimer says the club is willing to take what talents a student may bring and apply them where needed.
Jessica Hess, advisor of Women in STEM Club and associate professor of surveying, said the unique aspect students have brought to the club is their experiences they are able to share.
“Sometimes people who are a part of STEM can be so analytical and number crunchy so whenever we get someone who’s more artistic it kind of helps us look at things differently,” Hess said.
Hess went on to say that having outsiders helps out with the club by getting the word out.
Moving forward with the STEM club, Hess hopes to soon be able to plan panel discussions and take educational trips.
If a student is interested in joining the club, they can email Hess at
