Women constitute half of the college-educated workforce but make up just twenty-five percent of the STEM industry. This exhibit showcases accomplished and relatable STEM role models whose stories are proof that gender is no barrier to any career. Their jobs include shark tagging, designing fashion, and training Olympic athletes—and that’s just for starters. Selected to share their stories and serve as high-profile role models, these diverse innovators serve as Ambassadors for IF/THEN®, an initiative of Lyda Hill Philanthropies designed to activate a culture shift among young girls to open their eyes to STEM careers.

This installation is rooted in a simple truth: seeing is believing. When a girl sees a woman successfully pursuing a STEM career (and having fun), she is more likely to imagine a STEM career for herself … and perhaps even change the world.

Why Statues?

Who we choose to honor with a statue says a lot about our culture’s values. Do you realize that most statues are of men? In fact, a 2016 study led by former Treasurer of the United States Rosie Rios found that the 10 largest U.S. cities publicly displayed fewer than a half-dozen statues of real women. Women also make up less than 30% of today’s STEM workforce—could there be a connection?

Once it became clear that we need more women in STEM and more statues of women, it only made sense to use a high-tech approach to create the figures. #IfThenSheCan - The Exhibit is the largest 3D-printed project of its kind. Each subject stood in a scanning booth that combined 89 cameras and 25 projectors to generate a 3D image. To print the image, a special machine slowly built up layers of acrylic gel. Ten (or more) hours later: a full-sized 3D-printed human figure.

Go Deeper

• Learn more about the making of the Exhibit!

• Follow AAAS IF/THEN Ambassador, Vanessa Hill, as she meets her statue!

• Check out science segments from Saturday-morning TV show on CBS, Mission Unstoppable, hosted by Miranda Cosgrove and starring featuring many of the women featured as represented by statues in this exhibit! And brand new this year, watch #STEM Loft on YouTube.

• Browse the IF/THEN® Collection, the world's largest, free digital library of images and video that reflect the diversity of contemporary women and gender minorities in STEM.

• See yourself as a statue through this custom Instagram AR filter (only works from phone)

• Follow us on Instagram and Twitter!!

Acknowledgements

Thank you to all the partners that made the exhibit previews and the full Dallas and DC exhibits possible:

• American Association for the Advancement of Science

• Amaze Design

• Dallas Love Field

• IF/THEN^®, an initiative of Lyda Hill Philanthropies

• NorthPark Center

• The Smithsonian Institution

• Wildlife Conservation Society