On Monday, educators, business leaders and politicians alike came together to learn how to get involved in a new online resource center to connect mentors in the science, technology, engineering and math fields (also known as STEM) to Philadelphia students as part of the national “US2020” initiative to increase STEM involvement and diversity.

“Knowing a STEM professional and understanding what they do increases the likelihood of a young person choosing a STEM field when they grow up,” Mayor Michael Nutter said at a University of Pennsylvania event on STEM education on Monday, Sept. 15. Nutter told his own story of how a job at his neighborhood pharmacy connected him to a mentor who sparked his interest and inspired him to pursue biomedical engineering at Penn.

“All of those mentors have helped to shape my life,” Nutter said.

The initiative is meant to not only increase the number of kids interested in pursuing STEM careers, which are growing at a rate of 17 percent, but also to reach children from underrepresented groups. Just one in four STEM workers are female, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce, and less than 13 percent are Black or Latino. 

“It is that exposure and access that provides students with the ability to think beyond their respective circumstance,” Philadelphia Superintendent William Hite said.

Philadelphia was selected as a White House US2020 City Competition winner earlier this year along with six other cities across the country, from San Francisco to Pennsylvania’s own Allentown. Set to be fully-equipped this fall, STEMcityPHL.org plans to connect resources from libraries, museums, universities, schools, organizations, companies and individuals in one place for easier accessibility. The site will also have a map and tool to match mentors with student ,seeking guidance in their interests and careers.

Companies like Saint-Gobain, IBM and GlaxoSmithKline joined the initiative to build up the city’s skilled workforce by creating a pipeline for success that starts with Philadelphia’s children. Following the announcement, Mayor Nutter, Vice President of Certain Teed Ceilings Darrell Williams, University of the Sciences President Helen Giles-Gee and Principal of Science Leadership Academy Chris Lehman discussed the future of STEM education in Philadelphia in a panel moderated by Technically Philly’s Juliana Reyes.