Advertising: Women in STEM
Because advertising is such a highly regarded program at CU, the Pathways to Excellence workshop added its first advertising project in 2014. Working in three teams, students created an advertising campaign aimed at persuading girls to major in STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and make a career in these fields. (Currently, men outnumber women in most STEM careers. For example, only 17 percent of chemical engineers are women.)
First, students identified the challenges young women face when considering STEM fields. They then researched the mindset of girls — their beliefs and attitudes toward STEM fields — with the goal of gaining insights that would help them design an advertising campaign. Using these insights, each team designed and executed a full-page magazine advertisement to persuade girls to consider STEM fields.
