STEM talent and career development is a national priority for the U.S. due to workforce skills gaps and competitiveness on the global arena. One explanation for the gaps in STEM talent and career development is the high attrition and low recruitment rates of STEM students and workers, particularly of females. For example, although women make up almost half of the U.S. workforce, they account for only 24% of the U.S. STEM workforce (Beede et al., 2011; NSF, 2010, Ramlakhan, 2012). Known gender disparities in psychological factors influencing educational and career choice such as attitudes, independence, and self-perception of ability provide a potential explanation for lower recruitment and retention rates of females and minorities in STEM (Bandura, 1986; Betz & Hackett, 1983, Maple & Stage, 1991; Schoon, 2001; Seymour & Hewitt, 1997). Research states student involvement and exposure to mathematics and sciences at young ages is crucial for STEM career development, especially for socially disadvantaged groups such as women, ethnic minorities, and economically disadvantaged groups (Callahan & Reis, 1996; Graham, 1994, Hanson, 1994; Trusty, 2002). These psychological and socioeconomic factors explain why researchers from a large urban university, two private foundations, and a high-tech medical simulation center united to form the GEMS partnership, which endeavors to unlock STEM as a career choice for middle school females in a rural school district.
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