Daytona Beach, FL - A Super Bowl ad airing on Sunday features an alumnus of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Nicole Stott is also a retired astronaut. She'll be featured in a Super Bowl ad for Olay. Olay, in turn will donate money to an organization that focuses on STEM careers for women.
The money raised goes to Girls Who Code. It’s easy to donate, just use #MakeSpaceforWomen on Twitter. Olay will donate a dollar for each time the hashtag is used, up to $500,000.
ERAU Professor Michele Halleran said that Stott is a huge advocate for women in STEM and that role models are key to attract women and girls. She said with Stott doing the commercial the hope is it will encourage more girls and young women to pursue a career in science, technolgy, engineering and math(STEM).
Halleran is Director of Diversity Initiatives for the College of Aviation. She said there are outreach programs for girls as young as sixth grade. "We are focusing on high-schoolers as well as our seventh graders. At the sixth grade level, the girls and boys have the exact same interest in math and science. The girls even seem to have higher test scores inthose subjects."
For parents of girls who want more information on STEM careers, Halleran suggested ERAU's own website for the Gaetz Aerospace Institute. She also likes two other websites geared towards girls starting STEM careers. They are Women in Aviation International and the International Aviation Women's Association.
