dr. adrienne starks — Biologist and CEO, Dr. Adrienne Starks is showing young girls in STEM that they can make it. Photo via Dr. Adrienne Starks’s Facebook

IF/THEN held an exhibit honoring successful female professionals in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Two of 120 statues were of women from Alabama including Birmingham’s Dr. Adrienne Starks. We’ve got the details.

The IF/THEN She Can exhibit is inspiring young ladies

IF/THEN is an organization that empowers and advances women in STEM. It is designed to activate a culture shift among young girls to open their eyes to STEM careers. Yet, their recent exhibit IF/THEN She Can, a compilation of 125 statues of contemporary female STEM professionals, was an eye-opener to all.

Before ending this October, the IF/THEN She Can exhibit at the NorthPark Center in Dallas, Texas featured over 120 statues of real women working in STEM. These life-sized, 3D print statues weighed about 20 pounds with each featuring a QR code for viewers to learn more about the scientist.

What made this exhibit extra special to Birmingham is that a statue of Dr. Adrienne Starks, a Fairfield native, was featured in the exhibit. One of two Alabama STEM professionals in the exhibit.

Who is Dr. Adrienne Starks?

Dr. Adrienne Starks is a biologist and the Founder and CEO at STREAM Innovations. She studied biology at Alabama A&M University from 1998- 2002 and completed her Ph.D. in biological sciences in 2010. Some of her notable works include conducting cancer research between Black-American and European populations at the National Institutes of Health.

Thanks to this exhibit, Dr. Starks gets to serve as an inspiration for young girls while representing Alabama.

IF/THEN She Can is fulfilling its mission

Girls who got the chance to view the exhibit were exposed to a variety of careers under the STEM umbrella and learned ways to use STEM in careers such as:

Coding
Fashion design
Veterinary school

Organizations designed for young girls visited the exhibit including 150 Hockaday girls scouts in grades k-12. The girls were split into “big sis, little sis” families and did bonding activities while learning about STEM. Students could even meet ambassadors through livestreams for free.

How did the IF/THEN She Can exhibit inspire you? Tag us @BhamNow on socials and let us know.