Women and men usually have different inspirations for entering careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

Laura Loyacono, director of KC STEM Alliance, which supports Kansas City area K-12 programs, finds one piece of comparative research particularly revealing.

“When males in STEM are surveyed about what motivated them to go into STEM, the vast majority said it was a machine or a toy that that caught their interest,” she said. “Maybe it was on their robotics team, or they played LEGOS. It was an object which seemed interesting to take apart and put back together and manipulate.

“When you ask women in STEM what motivated them to go into the STEM field, it was because they were encouraged by a teacher, a parent and other people. Someone told them they would be good in that area or encouraged them to go into a specific college major, maybe even invited them to go into that major.”

To motivate females to go into STEM, Loyacono stresses the need for young women to meet with other females who have benefited from pursuing and establishing themselves in STEM careers.

“Girls who are currently in high school are going to be in jobs that don’t even exist right now,” she said. “So there’s some risk involved. If I’m a ninth-grader doing well in math and science, my teachers and counselors and, chances are, my parents aren’t going to be very well equipped to guide me on what my career choices might be, because things are moving so quickly.

“So we’re really working to raise the amount of exposure that girls have with female STEM mentors, and to give them a chance to interact. We’re trying to show how being interested in and having an aptitude in math and science translates into a career, and doesn’t translate merely into your interest in, say, gaming. We’re trying to show how they can get a computer science degree and get a job where they can effect change in the world.”