According to a 2023 study, women make up only 28% of the STEM workforce – the gender gap in STEM persists. Girls Advancing in STEM (GAINS) is a community that supports high school girls’ and nonbinary individuals’ interests in STEM topics. GAINS offers a variety of resources to registered schools, including an annual conference for girls across the country to network and learn about the incredible paths women in STEM have chosen to take.
Tabor Academy has been a part of this interconnected network of schools since 2019. Each year, club members travel to various states and universities to attend this conference. In 2024, members traveled to the GAINS conference at Carnegie Mellon University. This year, an online symposium featuring the “natural world” was offered instead of an on-site conference. While the event was online, the schedule remained robust, covering six accomplished women and offering a student engagement session.
On April 6th, 2026, six GAINS members met up in Barrett’s Conference Room and were ready to participate. The first two speakers, Alys Laver and Nicole Turnball, represented the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust (WWT), a leading UK-based conservation charity. Laver and Turnball currently both lead individual projects to restore the United Kingdom’s wetlands by creating educational infographics and strategically implementing alternatives to combat climate change. They described their typical days and strongly encouraged students to actively volunteer in charity work as it may lead to unexpected interests.
GAINS had a student engagement period between the two speakers, where all members went on their individual devices and got pulled in different breakout rooms. Tabor students were able to connect with girls from Greenwich Academy, BBNB, Pingry Academy, and more. In the breakout rooms, they learned about others’ backgrounds, STEM experiences, and future goals.
After a brief break, GAINS continued with a panel of staff at the non–profit “Safe the Sound.” “Safe the Sound” is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to protecting, restoring, and preserving the Long Island South ecosystem and its surrounding watershed. Elena Colton, Nicole Davis, and Allison Ruglia answered questions about their work and what it means to be a woman in STEM. Jannie Limpenjud’ 26 asked in the panel: “Have you experienced challenges as a woman in the field of environmental science?” Which Colton answered by sharing an experience at a conference, where some seemed dismissive of what she had to say, even as the main presenter, as they only wanted to hear from the men in their group. Perhaps, the most important advice given to the girls was to persevere and show up every day to prove them wrong.
Katherine Meier, the last speaker, is getting her PhD at Yale University studying how socio-political and ecological processes intersect to optimize conservation outcomes. She described her experiences doing research around the globe in places such as Indonesia and the Republic of Congo. Andrea Yin ’27 described how Meier’s life experiences and her work as an interdisciplinary researcher impacted them.
“She encourages me to continue learning what I love across humanities, social sciences, and STEM, with the knowledge that studies across fields don’t necessarily conflict with each other and instead facilitates each other.” says Yin.
For Andrea Yin, as someone who is also interested in research and evolutionary anthropology, Meier’s speech served as a reminder that quality research doesn’t always fit in a certain bucket – it doesn’t have to always be in a niche field. Researchers should always be curious and not limited by the expectations imposed on their career path.
The GAINS Club feels empowered after hearing about all the successful women in STEM, and Janiss Limpeanjud ’26 describes the impact GAINS has perfectly:
“It reminded me that I’m not alone on this path, and I hope that women will continue to shine in the STEM field.” says Limpeanjud.
Even with the disparities that remain in STEM, the female community never fails to come together and create a better future for the many generations to come.
