Mathematics, engineering, technology and science are all things that make up the acronym METS, but it may be better known as STEM. This year’s senior class holds a larger amount than the other grades with 28 members, nine of which are women. 

The STEM senior project is a capstone project that, within groups, they present at the end of the year to a group of judges for the chance at winning money for themselves and their school program. This year, six of the nine women got together to make their own women’s group to work on the project.

The group began after a majority of the women wanted to tackle climate change for their project. 

“We all really resonated with the idea of combating ocean acidification,”  senior Cameron Sopinski said. “That’s what I wanted to do because I care about climate change and I’m passionate about that stuff.”

Their project is a unique idea with a funky name that senior Lindsay Miller thinks is captivating.

“It’s called the carb-octopus,” said Miller. “It’s an octopus that gets rid of the carbon dioxide in the ocean. The original name was corrosion, so this is much better.”

Miller enjoys being in the group as it allows for her to speak her mind without being shut down by the other group members. 

“It’s a safer environment,” said Miller. “I feel like, because you don’t have a lot of guys putting off your ideas, it’s more collaborative. You feel more involved without having to yell out your opinions to get noticed.”

The group’s synergy is contagious and while sometimes it disengages them from their work, their bond makes up for it. 

“One issue is that we can get off topic really easily,” Sopinski said. “However, I think when we do have a good work day, we can really get stuff done. We really mesh as a group in general. We don’t have any drama, and we all just kind of flow pretty well together.”

Women in STEM are still significantly outnumbered by the men, but that gap is slowly decreasing. This is only the beginning for the growth of women’s presence in STEM related fields. The women’s group may be small now, but there is no telling what the future will bring.