The Problem
STEMThink strives to break the stigma surrounding mental health within STEM fields. We believe that to best encourage those from marginalized communities to participate in science, we have to first destroy fears and intimidation associated with many STEM fields. STEMThink thus educates students on the importance of mental health, specifically by equipping participants with effective ways to cope with the stress and anxiety that may come as a result of working in a STEM field. We have started first with girls living in rural areas of Kentucky, but have impacted hundreds outside of both Kentucky and the US. We have brought our workshops, summer camps, and collaborative hackathons that focus on the intersection of STEM and mental health to 9 states and 2 countries. By bringing our curriculum to underserved communities and students, we hope to provide kids with a means to further their education and interests in STEM. Thus, STEMThink strives to encourage students to pursue a career in STEM without sacrificing their mental health, break the stigma surrounding mental health topics in high-performing STEM schools, and educate underrepresented middle schoolers on a wide variety of STEM topics that they wouldn’t be exposed to otherwise.
