You’ve heard the phrases “Mother Earth” and “Mother Nature”, a harkening to roots in Greek mythology and the Renaissance term “Tellus Mater, or Terra Mater” in Latin. This Earth Week, we’re taking a moment to highlight women (both moms and non-moms!) who have careers in fighting for Mother Earth and developing solutions to the climate crisis.  

Read over 130 profiles of women at the Department of Energy’s 17 National Laboratories across the country and at our DC-area headquarters in our STEM Rising: Women @ Energy series. These profiles share career journeys, tips for others to follow in their footsteps, advice for broadening the gender diversity in the energy workforce, and insights about why their STEM careers are so exciting and impactful to them. Read the profiles at www.energy.gov/WomenInSTEM,.  

Bonus: check out our poster series featuring some of the women in the profiles here.  

This poster features Berkeley Lab’s Jackie Scoggins, a Computer Systems Engineer in the Information Technology Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. When she was 16, Jackie was curious about how the copy machine that she would work on at the Oakland Naval Supply Center kept track of the count and the image to reprint it. “So I decided that day I was going to do computer science because it was the closest degree I could find at UC Davis that would be close to me working on Computers.” Now she’s advancing efforts to engage more women and gender non-binary people in computer science.  

In a prior Women’s History Month, Department of Energy staff reflected on women in climate action who inspired them and helped guide them to their current energy careers. These reflections are meant to keep us grounded while continuing to build on their work and carry on their legacy. See stories like how Dr. Ruby Leung, a climate scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, is an inspiration for Julie Erickson, a Senior Technical Advisor with the Office of Science, as Dr. Leung translates complex scientific information to accurately predict changes and make shifts where needed to protect the planet. 

Fewer than 30% of the world’s researchers are women. And papers authored by female scientists are often overlooked. Those who publish in elite medical journals are half as likely to be cited as men who publish comparable studies. Don’t miss the Department of Energy’s feature on women in waterpower research who share their STEM journey and how they are making waves in waterpower. Read their stories here.  

Closing the gender gap and increasing the participation, leadership, and success of women in clean energy fields are the goals of the U.S. Clean Energy Education and Empowerment (C3E) Initiative, a unique partnership between the Department of Energy, MIT Energy Initiative, Stanford Energy, and Texas A&M Energy Institute. Part of C3E is an Awards program, to recognize and honor midcareer women leaders who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and accomplishments in clean energy across diverse fields.  

Nominations are solicited nationwide and vetted by the Ambassadors. Awardees are announced at the annual U.S. C3E Women in Clean Energy Symposium, where they receive high-level recognition and a cash prize! Check out past awardees here, like Suzanne Singer, winner of the 2019 C3E Entrepreneurship Award and Executive Director and Co-Founder Native Renewables Inc.  

We’re hiring over 1,000 positions at the Department of Energy through the Clean Energy Corps, your gateway to a climate job that makes a difference for the planet. We want people from all segments of America, from entry to executive level. See www.energy.gov/CleanEnergyCorps to drop in your resume and apply today. 

For more features, history, and stories about ways the Department of Energy invests in broadening women’s participation in energy careers and showcasing stories of women making impacts in our clean energy future, click over to our website www.energy.gov/women. 

Happy Earth Day!