12
QUEENS WEEKLY, MARCH 17, 2019
Jax Hgts students use art to celebrate Women’s History Month
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
In celebration of Women’s
History Month, students at
the Renaissance Charter
School in Jackson Heights
created digital artwork
highlighting five prominent
women of color pioneers in
the STEM fields who have
made a significant impact in
New York.
The Renaissance Charter
School, located at 35-59 81st
St., is one of three schools
participating in the citywide
art campaign in collaboration
with Global Kids,
LinkNYC and the New York
Department of Information
Technology and Telecommunications
(DoITT).
The students’ artwork
will be featured on 55 Link
Kiosks across the city
through March 31.
“This month, New Yorkers
are going to encounter
some of the city’s most influential
women in the science
and technology field just by
walking by a Link Kiosk,”
said Samir Saini, commissioner
of the Department of
Information Technology and
Telecommunications. “Global
Kids students have done
a tremendous job telling
the story of how women in
STEM have shaped our city
and country — and we hope
that it will inspire others to
join this growing field.”
Global kids in middle and
high school developed static
portraits through a digital
design project to honor
the five women of color in
STEM fields:
• Jane Cooke Wright
— a pioneering cancer researcher
and surgeon noted
for her contributions to
chemotherapy.
• Marie Maynard Daly
— the first African-American
woman to obtain a
Ph.D. in chemistry in the
United States.
• Mabel Keaton Staupers
— a pioneer in the American
nursing profession.
• Sinah Estelle Kelley
— a chemist who worked
on the mass production
of penicillin.
• Susan McKinney Steward
— the third African-
American woman to earn a
medical degree and the first
in New York State.
“Last year we had done
a project in support of Black
History Month, and this
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month we wanted to do it for
Women’s History Month, and
we decided to honor women
of color in STEM,” said Matthew
Wallace, senior trainer
with Global Kids. “We took
four months of planning and
several months of drawing to
create the images.”
Estella De La Cruz Melo,
14, described the project as
“very fun and informal.”
“I learned a lot of information
such as what these
women do and how they’re
not really recognized,” said
De La Cruz Melo.
Luca Timentel, 14, enjoyed
working on the project
learning about the women
who he said should’ve received
credit for their contributions
to the STEM field.
“It’s unfair that these
women didn’t get the recognition
that they deserved,”
said Timentel. “It was a
good learning experience
learning about the women,
and I would participate in a
project like this again.”
This is Link’s second
collaboration with Global
Kids, a nonprofit educational
organization for
global learning and youth
development ensuring that
children from underserved
communities have the
knowledge, skills and experiences
to succeed in school
and their communities.
Last year, Global Kids
students at PS 96 produced
portraits of influential black
scientists such as Garrett
Morgan and Mae Jemison
in celebration of Black History
Month. For this project,
Global Kids youth from
Manhattan East School,
Washington Heights Expeditionary
Learning School and
Renaissance Charter High
School conducted research
and selected the five women
to honor.
“Women are too often
overlooked or completely left
out of the history of science
and technology,” said Ruth
Fasoldt, Link’s director of
External Affairs. “We are
thrilled to highlight women
innovators on Links to celebrate
their accomplishments
and significant contributions
to their fields. Links
throughout the five boroughs
will showcase the digital illustrations
of Global Kids
students to raise awareness
of these pioneers and hopefully
inspire more young
women along the way.”
Global kids in middle and high school developed static portraits
through a digital design project to honor the women
of color in STEM fields who have made a significant impact in
New York. Courtesy of Global Kids