Hoping to inspire a new generation of women to follow in their footsteps, a panel of scientists, engineers and educators will offer insights into careers in their respected fields as California State University, Northridge officials celebrate Pi Day on Thursday, March 14, by throwing the spotlight on STEM—science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The presentation, “STEM: Education Challenges and Career Opportunities,” is scheduled to take place from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Jack and Florence Ferman Presentation Room of the Delmar T. Oviatt Library, located in the center of the campus at 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge.

“I am thrilled that the Oviatt Library and the Bonita J. Campbell Endowment for Women in Science and Engineering are able to co-sponsor this special event,” said Mark Stover, dean of CSUN’s Oviatt Library. “‘STEM: Education Challenges and Career Opportunities’ will feature several panelists, including women who have inspired future generations to follow in their footsteps into the fields of science and engineering.

“Our panelists will be discussing educational challenges and career opportunities, and ample time will be allotted for questions from the audience,” Stover continued. “This event is geared toward both college-level students as well as high school students, and we are hoping that many from the CSUN community and beyond will be able to attend. “

The afternoon’s panelists include Rebecca Gottlieb, engineering director at Medtronic, an international leader in medical device technology and therapies; CSUN education professor Susan Belgrad; and Karen Moran, a system safety engineering with the NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Light refreshments will be served, including different types of pie in honor of Pi Day.

In 2009, professor emeritus Bonita J. Campbell of CSUN’s Department of Manufacturing Systems Engineering and Management established the Bonita J. Campbell Endowment for Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) to “facilitate both the participation of women in science and engineering, particularly those fields in which they are insufficiently represented, and the development and preservation of knowledge about women in the science and engineering disciplines.”

For more information about the presentation, call (818) 677-2638 or visit the website http://library.csun.edu/WISE.

College of Engineering and Computer Science, College of Science and Mathematics, Michael D. Eisner College of Education, Oviatt Library