The College of Engineering's Office of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion is excited to host a Women's History Month discussion titled "Addressing Bias in STEM" at 6 p.m. March 15 in Bell Engineering Center Room 2282.

The guest lecturer is Ruth Jones, associate manager for the Human Exploration Development and Operations Office at NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Jones provides leadership and coordination in the planning, initiation and guidance of project management and systems engineering processes.  

The College of Engineering is dedicated to promoting an environment that is inclusive to women and gives them an equal opportunity to succeed, said Patrice Sims, assistant director of the college's Office of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

"The number of women in STEM is lower in comparison to men," she said, referring to science, technology, engineering and mathematics. "It is imperative that we change the narrative. As the field of STEM grows, the need for female representation grows as well. As a community, we have to break societal norms and realize that STEM is a field for men and women."

Jones was the first African American woman to receive a Bachelor of Science in physics from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. She earned a Master of Science in physics/materials science from Alabama A&M University and became the second African American woman to receive a Ph.D. in Alabama when she completed that degree at Alabama A&M.

Author of numerous articles on optical physics, Jones is a member of the Society of Women Engineers, System Safety Society, American Physical Society, SPIE and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.

Jones has received awards such as the Silver Achievement Medal, Center Director's Commendation from Marshall Space Flight Center and Glenn Research Center, Wings of Excellence from Cleveland's Federal Executive Board, inducted into the Hall of Fame at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff for achievements in science/technology, Circle of Excellence presented by the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Government and Industry Leadership Award presented by Alabama A&M University Alumni Association, Extraordinary Achievements in Aerospace Engineering presented by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. and has been recognized as one of the six Women Succeeding in Male-Dominated Fields (Daily Worth's, Oct. 13, 2014).  She is also the co-author/contributor to the Society of Women Engineers' first eBook, Be That Engineer: Inspiration and Insight from Accomplished Women Engineers. She is lauded as one of NASA's Modern Figures.