Mayim Bialik (aka Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler on television's popular "The Big Bang Theory") not only plays a geek, she IS one. Best known for her leading role in the 90s family hit, "Blossom" and the young Bette Midler in "Beaches," she's a real-life neurobiologist who holds a Doctorate of Philosophy in Neuroscience from UCLA.
"I love playing the sweet and brainy Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler, who has a quirky relationship with Dr. Sheldon Cooper (Emmy award-winning actor, Jim Parsons. "It shows a scientist's softer side," she says. She feels the program humanizes geeks and shows that their lives are normal and fulfilling.
This year, Bialik is the spokesperson for DeVry University's HerWorld, a nationwide initiative to encourage young girls to pursue STEM careers (science, technology, engineering and math). More than 7,000 girls are expected to attend the month-long event that takes place in 22 cities.
Ironically, Thursday evening's episode was about this very topic -- engaging young girls in the sciences. "It was totally random that it appeared on the eve of HerWorld," says Biakik, who was delighted with the coincidence.
It was her Biology tutor on the set of Blossom who first turned Bialik on to the sciences. "I thought passion was reserved for literature and the arts," she says. "I didn't know you could feel that strongly about science until I fell in love with the neuron. "It helps us understand the universe and the electrical properties of the mind and body."
She wants other young women to experience that same passion and prepare for careers in an expanding field. Although women in the STEM fields comprise only 25 percent today, a U.S. Department of Commerce study projects that jobs in the STEM fields will grow seven percent faster than those in other fields by 2018 when approximately 8-million STEM jobs are projected. The need will open up opportunities for qualified candidates of both sexes.
This is the sixteenth year of DeVry's HerWorld, a month-long program (HerWorld Month) that kicked off on March 8 in New York with Bialik as the keynote speaker. She told the audience of 300 girls about her own experience growing up in New York, the daughter of first generation Jewish immigrants, both school teachers, and her love of the sciences. She encouraged them to take a leap of faith, open their minds to the possibilities in the STEM fields.
"Girls often perceive the curriculum for these subjects as unapproachable," she says. "HerWorld challenges the perception by giving teenage girls a place to experience the excitement of STEM subjects firsthand and engages them in stories of successful women who are making a difference.
Attendees will interact with peers through hands-on workshops and confidence-boosting activities. They'll also hear inspirational stories from women leaders in the field.
To read the full article written by Mickey Goodman, please visit HuffingtonPost.com.
