Bendix participates in Women in Science Day in Cleveland

Elyria’s Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems recently celebrated the contributions women from around the world have made to science.

Bendix participated Feb. 9 in the Women in Science Day at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History as an exhibitor to show how science, technology, engineering and mathematics, also known as STEM, impact the daily lives of people, according to a news release.

Eight women who work in STEM at Bendix helped to educate students at the event through activities on sustainability, coding and circuits.

The event attracted 1,500 boys and girls who were involved in hands-on activities and special programs, the release said.

At the Science Day event, Maria Gutierrez, Bendix director of corporate responsibility and sustainability, provided a welcome to introduce the Science Graduate Student Panel.

Gutierrez, trained as a chemical and environmental engineer, aims to inspire young girls to pursue science and disband the myth that women in science don’t fit society’s expectations, the release said.

“According to the National Girls Collaborative Project, women make up half of the total U.S. college-educated workforce, but only 29 percent (are) of the science and engineering workforce,” Gutierrez said. “I want to encourage young girls to be all they can be.

“At Bendix, we are creating an encouraging environment for women to thrive in – as we portray with all these successful women in our business. Diversity in our workforce brings a variety of different ideas and ways of thinking that will only result in creative innovation.”

Other Bendix female leaders are: Barb Albrecht, whose training in mechanical engineering has served her well as program manager for customer retrofit; Rebecca Carter, an industrial engineer who works as product manager for specialty valves; Cheryl Greenly, a trained electrical engineer who earned a law degree and serves as one of Bendix’s intellectual property attorneys; and Nicole Oreskovic, who brings her mechanical engineering training to bear in her role as product line director for air disc brakes.