Superposition: A Club to Bridge the Gender Gap in STEM

Superposition is an international non-profit organization that focuses on bridging the gender gap in STEM. I interviewed Helena Lowe, the international Head of Chapters with Superposition, and Julia Banuelos, one of the heads of the Piedmont Superposition Chapter. Superposition Piedmont is a group for female or non-binary students interested in STEM. Check out their instagram, @superpositionpiedmont, to learn more, and fill out their interest form if you are looking to join! Interest form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdC5EO5JFmLOrjaifV485xd06tptUyJiyv-BF5XzYKkYdI-Zg/viewform

Helena Lowe (she/her) is 18 years old, and is planning to pursue a career in computer science.

Julia Banuelos (she/her) is 15, and is one of the co-founders of the Piedmont Superposition Chapter, with Sage Mosely (16, she/her).

Q: Do you consider yourself a woman in STEM/ do you plan to pursue a STEM field in higher education?

Helena: Yes, I do! I’m planning on pursuing computer science in university next year.

Julia: Yes I would. I have devoted a lot of my time to participation in various robotics teams and competitions. Through those experiences, I have been able to retain interest in coding and design. In 2019 I founded one of Piedmont’s first all girls robotics teams. In addition, I have been able to expand my interests in science fields, such as Biology. I’m hoping to pursue a career in either engineering or bio related sciences.

Q: What is Superposition? Why do you feel it is important?

H: Superposition is an international nonprofit with a mission to bridge the gender gap in STEM. We’re really big on female empowerment -- girls should be able to pursue their passions, so breaking down barriers that hinder them from doing so is important. We’re also known for our annual hackathon -- it’s the largest all-female (non-binary inclusive) hackathon in the Bay Area.

J: We talk about this in the following question, but Superposition is a female lead organization that really targets and promotes female participation in a way that is community based, to have a larger impact. I think an organization like this is so important, as it inspires other people to get involved, which is ultimately how I believe, can increase girl participation in STEM. So in a way, just letting people know that opportunities like this are out there, can motivate people.

Q: What is your position with the Superposition organization? What do you do?

H: I am currently the Director of Chapters, so I manage and support our over 75 international chapters in 11 countries. This includes hosting the Chapter Training Conference that we held last month and scheduling visitations to help them with their monthly projects or just general chapter logistics.

J: We are both co-founders of the Superposition Piedmont Chapter. With that, we have been able to represent and execute the organization's missions. Superposition is an international organization that hosts the biggest female and non-binary hackathon, that partners with Uber and VSCO.

Q: How can others get involved in Superposition? What about at a high level like you?

H: Superposition is constantly planning events/programs so you can get involved as an attendee that way -- our annual hackathon is coming up in April! If you want to get involved on the Superposition team, follow us @superpositionfc on Instagram to see when our team applications open up. You can also apply to start your own chapter using this google form (link: https://forms.gle/vbS7kb369o6fXqCd6).

Q: Why did you start a Piedmont Chapter of Superposition? How can people join this group and what do they do within this group?

J: with my experience in robotics, I have been able to first hand see and experience how gender plays a role in the way people look at you and really applies to how they access your skills in an area. I think with those experiences being pushed around on these boys teams, was definitely

This group mainly targets any female or non-binary [students] interested in STEM. You can check out our Instagram and fill out our interest forms to join.

Q: How do you feel Piedmont supports women in STEM?

H: Piedmont supports women in STEM through programs like its robotics teams -- we have an all-girls team which is really nice. Having female STEM teachers is also really helpful because they serve as role models. We also had (I’m not sure if it still exists) a Girls Who Code Club which was a great place to start programming.

J: I did mention earlier that I do have experience in robotics, so through my time working with Piedmont Makers I have been able to really feel the community support of girls and my all-girls robotics team, which I founded in 2019. The Makers Organization has been an advocate for female participation. I do feel however, there hasn’t been much advocating in the schools, which was why we have been hoping to connect Superposition to our school!

Q: Do you have any thoughts on how to address the leaky pipeline at the highschool level (or just in general)? (for reference, the leaky pipeline is a metaphor to describe how women become underrepresented minorities in STEM fields, “leaking out” at every step of their path).

H: The leaky pipeline is caused by a lot of things -- namely conditioning and social norms. There aren’t enough female role models for young girls, so it’s often tough to envision yourself succeeding in the field. I’ve also heard far too many stories of girls in STEM feeling uncomfortable being the only girl, or one of few girls, in their STEM classes or programs. That’s why it’s so important for support systems with positive, empowering communities to exist. There needs to be places where girls can feel safe and supported while exploring STEM subjects.

J: Once again, through my experience in robotics I have been able to realize that a lot of what made participation in these STEM activities was that I would be one of the only girls, which was scary. So fast forward a couple years, when creating my all-girls robotics team, I was able to find a lot of girls who were interested, but were turned away by the fact that most of the people on other teams were all boys. So through that, I was able to realize that giving visibility to STEM fields and activities that women are participating can inspire girls who may have otherwise not joined.