Why are mentors important?

<span data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Ultimately, mentors have the capacity to have a tremendous influence on young people in particular; the relationship between mentor and mentee has always reminded me of the parent-child dynamic, which is why it’s so critical for students to identify their role models earlier on."}" data-sheets-userformat="{"2":4483,"3":{"1":0},"4":{"1":2,"2":16777215},"10":2,"11":4,"15":"Arial"}">Ultimately, mentors have the capacity to have a tremendous influence on young people in particular; the relationship between mentor and mentee has always reminded me of the parent-child dynamic, which is why it’s so critical for students to identify their role models earlier on.

When was the first all-female spacewalk?

<span data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"October 18, 2019. Events like the all-female spacewalk help us, as a society, actively move toward a future with equal representation and opportunities."}" data-sheets-userformat="{"2":4483,"3":{"1":0},"4":{"1":2,"2":16777215},"10":2,"11":4,"15":"Arial"}">October 18, 2019. Events like the all-female spacewalk help us, as a society, actively move toward a future with equal representation and opportunities.

Why is diversity among technology developers important?

Diversity is a means to improve creativity and flexibility; it is the way to open to new perspectives and to experiment new approaches. In developing technology, the above aspects are clearly crucial, because technology is the means to shape the future through the systems and applications that can be developed.

What are ways to improve diversity in STEM jobs?

Clear assessment metrics for promotion and providing constructive feedback are key. Colleagues and managers should ensure that all voices are heard and that those who propose ideas get proper recognition and are applauded for having the idea. Conversely, we should not reward those that simply repeat what someone else said or take credit for ideas that are not theirs.

Karen Panetta IEEE Fellow, IEEE Robotics and Automation Society, IEEE Education Society, IEEE Computer Society, IEEE Oceanic Engineering Society, IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society, IEEE Signal Processing Society, IEEE Systems, Man and Cybernetics Society

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