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oSTEM Chapter Update for 2017: What we’ve Done and Where we’re Going!

It has been a little time since the last post was made, however it is never too late to start it up again! Provided in this post is an update as to what the Penn State oSTEM chapter has done this semester, as well as what we plan to do for the near future!

THON
This year marks the first year oSTEM has had a THON group! Lead by THON co-chair Hannah Rodriguez and Treasurer Veronica Gruning, oSTEM benefiting THON has already had great success. After just one weekend of canning, our THON group fundraised $1,301.05 towards fighting pediatric cancer. In the weeks ahead, we plan on participating in the THON 5K, collecting cans, and going canvassing.
Additionally, oSTEM benefitting THON has recently rebranded. When it was first created, oSTEM benefitting THON was supposed to be an extension of oSTEM. However, our goal has changed and now the group is an all-inclusive LGBTQA+ THON organization. In a reflection of this change, oSTEM benefitting THON has now become Prism benefitting THON!
If you want to get involved with Prism, we meet Thursdays at 6:00 pm in 370 Willard.

Ford Event
On Tuesday, September 12th, Ford Motor Company hosted a diversity and inclusion event in cooperation with oSTEM. There, representatives from Ford, talked to oSTEM members about Ford Globe, their LGBT resource, healthcare, and what it looks like to work for Ford. The event was an overall great success, and we hope to have more in the future.

Plans to attend Annual Conference
As always, the Penn State Chapter of oSTEM plans on attending the annual oSTEM conference! This year, it will be held in Chicago, Illinois from November 16th to the 19th. At the annual conference, members will have a chance to attend panels, meet with companies, and connect with other LGBTQA+ people in the same fields as them. Our oSTEM chapter hopes to bring up to twenty people to this year’s conference, and will attend from the 17th to the 19th.

Game Night
For one of our meetings, oSTEM held its first game night! While we are a professional group, it’s important that we establish a community of friends and have a little fun. Everyone was encouraged to bring food and games- we had chips, popcorn, and games from “Betrayal at House on the Hill” to “Cards Against Humanity,” and even a couple LGBT+ themed ones. It was a great night filled with laughter, smiles, and community bonding.

Chair Positions
The chair positions of Internal Relations, Public Relations, and Webmaster were just filled for this year! oSTEM welcomes its new chair members, Zachary Zydonik, Katherine Kauma, and Evan Sneed.
Zach, our Internal Relations chair, is a junior studying Chemical Engineering, Katherine, our Public Relations chair, is a freshman studying Astronomy and Astrophysics, and Evan, our Webmaster, is a sophomore studying Astronomy and Astrophysics.

oSTEM also welcomes our new club advisor, David Zach, who is an academic advisor in the Eberly College of Science.

Things to come:
We have quite a lot planned for the coming weeks:
oSTEM will be touring the Breazeale Nuclear Reactor here on campus! The date is still unsure, but it will definitely be happening in the near future, so keep an eye out for that.
A movie night has been suggested and will most likely be taking place within the next couple weeks!
The week before the oSTEM national conference, we’ll be hosting a Professional Clothing Fashion show! Show off your best attire and get some tips and inspiration.

Meeting info:
If you’re interested in oSTEM, it’s never too late to join. We meet every other monday at 6:00 pm in 258 Willard. Our next meeting is October 30th.
Additionally, our THON group meets every Thursday at 6:00 pm in 370 Willard. If you want to get involved, the next THON meeting is October 19th.
We hope to see you there!

Written by: Katherine Kauma and Ian Wasserman

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