Science on Screen
At the 4/23 screening, join us for a special conversation as part of the Film Society’s Science on Screen program. A panel of experts will discuss the present gender gap in science, technology, engineering and mathematics industries, and what initiatives are underway to promote greater equality.
Not only the first woman to win the Nobel Prize (and the first person to win it twice), Marie Curie was a pioneering scientist, teacher, and feminist, whose fearlessness is captured in Marie Curie – The Courage of Knowledge. As the first female professor at the University of Paris, Curie endured any number of slights and outright hostility, but her life in general was also fraught with challenges: her husband and scientific partner, Pierre, was killed in a car accident, leaving Marie to raise their children and forge ahead with their research, all the while enduring a workplace that was hostile to her both as a woman and a Polish national.
A sweeping biography that captures the political and social atmosphere of turn-of-the-century Europe, Marie Curie – The Courage of Knowledge is director Marie Noëlle’s paean to one of the icons of the scientific and feminist communities.
April 23 Science on Screen Topic
What is the current state of female representation in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics? Join our panel of experts as we discuss the present gender gap in STEM.
Science on Screen Speakers:
Kristine Pelatt is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minnesota. She earned a BS in Mathematics and Physics from Gonzaga University, an MS in Mathematics from Washington University in St. Louis and a PhD in Mathematics from University of Oregon. Dr. Pelatt's research interests lie in algebraic topology, and she enjoys studying both pure algebraic topology simply to appreciate its beauty and applied algebraic topology to connect with other disciplines. Since coming to St. Catherine University, Dr. Pelatt has become active in mentoring undergraduate research as a way of increasing the retention of women in the field of mathematics.
Dr. Kaye Smith is an Assistant Professor of Physics at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minnesota. Dr. Smith holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin- Madison, and a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University. Her technical career started in industry where she has worked with large companies and startup companies in R&D, manufacturing and technical service. After leaving her industrial career, she entered higher education as an engineering, physics and math instructor at Century College, White Bear Lake, Minnesota, before accepting the position of 3M Thwaits Fellow at the University St. Thomas. In addition to teaching and research at St. Thomas, Dr. Smith directed the highly successful School of Engineering STEPS Camp for girls. In 2012 Dr. Smith accepted a position with St. Catherine University as Assistant Professor of Physics. Dr. Smith’s service work is in the area of water purification and STEM education in developing countries. In 2013 Dr. Smith traveled to Nigeria as part of the WAAW Foundation team to help facilitate the launching of a STEM Camp program, which impacted 26 African girls. Dr. Smith’s research interests include STEM Education for Women and the use of high altitude balloons to study the earth’s stratosphere.
Kristen Womack is an award-winning product leader, team builder, and technology consultant in Minneapolis. She is a co-founder of Hack the Gap, the founder and principal of Night Sky Web Co., and co-organizer of Product Tank Twin Cities. Previously, she was the head of the API Developer Program at Best Buy, the Director of Product at LeadPages, Co-ambassador of the Twin Cities Geekettes, and a founding board member of Mpls MadWomen. She is a sought-after writer and speaker on issues ranging from API development to team management, and is a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion in the tech world. She loves running, yoga and reading.
Director’s Biography
Born in Châteauroux, France, Marie Noëlle is a novelist, screenwriter, producer and director. She studied mathematics and received a Masters in Business from EAP. In 1991, she published the novel Arwagar and wrote and co-directed (with Peter Sehr) the feature films The Anarchist’s Wife ('08) and Ludwig II ('12).
Sponsored by: