Monday September 25 – Sunday October 1

Kendall/MIT Open Space, 292 Main St, Cambridge, MA 02142

Lyda Hill Philanthropies’ IF/THEN® Initiative presents #IfThenSheCan – The Exhibit. Seen by more than 4 million people at the Smithsonian Institution, Dallas’ NorthPark Mall, Central Park Zoo and other locations across the country, #IfThenSheCan – The Exhibit is a monumental exhibit of 120 3D-printed statues celebrating contemporary women innovators in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

Cambridge Science Festival hosts a pop-up exhibit of 30 of these statues, with individual stories of the women the statues represent accessible through QR code-linked videos, images and biographies. The installation highlights how a more diverse, more inclusive workforce will strengthen the world’s shared future — IF we support a woman in STEM, THEN she can change the world!

 

The Opening Celebration

Wednesday, September 27 • 3:30-4:30pm | MIT Museum

Reserve your tickets now!

Join the women who are represented as statues in #IfThenSheCan – The Exhibit, part of Lyda Hill Philanthropies’ nation-wide IF/THEN® Initiative to activate a culture shift among young girls to open their eyes to STEM careers. Women thought-leaders and change-makers from a variety of STEM fields will share stories of their experiences, illustrating what is possible, what needs to change, and what lies ahead.

The IF/THEN® Initiative seeks to further advance women in STEM by empowering current innovators and inspiring the next generation of pioneers. From protecting wildlife, discovering galaxies, fighting superbugs, to choreographing robots, the STEM innovators featured as statues were selected in 2019 through a rigorous process that identified them as leaders in their fields.

In collaboration with Cambridge-based Science Club for Girls, the Opening Celebration features leading STEM women from Cambridge and across the country, including young girls featured in the “Only 4%” campaign to support the organization’s free programs which foster excitement, confidence, and literacy in STEM for girls and gender-expansive youth from underrepresented communities. SCFG’s campaign provides free, experiential programs and maximizes meaningful interactions with women-in-STEM mentors.

Immediately following the Opening Celebration, we invite you to Only 4% – The Launch Party from 4.30-6.30pm at the MIT Welcome Center. Find out more about this event and reserve your ticket here.

 

Science Carnival Meet-and-Greet

Sunday October 1 • 12:00-4:00 pm | Kendall/MIT Open Space

Stop by and meet, in person, more than a dozen of the women STEM innovators who are represented as statues in #IfThenSheCan – The Exhibit, part of Lyda Hill Philanthropies’ nation-wide IF/THEN® Initiative to activate a culture shift among young girls to open their eyes to STEM careers. Visitors of all ages are invited to engage in hands-on activities and exchange personal stories and inspiration. Explore the 30 statues in Kendall/MIT Open Space and decode the puzzle on this scavenger hunt, or click here to learn more about the #IfThenSheCan – The Exhibit Cambridge Science Festival Pop-Up.

IF she can see it, THEN she can be it!

 

Featuring MIT alumnae

In addition to statues representing STEM disciplines such as astronomy, biotechnology, computer science, and forest ecology, six of the statues that will be displayed during the Festival represent AAAS IF/THEN® Ambassadors who are MIT alumnae:

Photography credits, in order from top of page:

Photo by Hannele Lahti, courtesy of IFTHEN® Collection.
Photo by Farrah Skeiky, courtesy of IFTHEN® Collection.
Photo of Yamilée Toussaint Beach. Courtesy of IFTHEN® Collection.
Photo of Ritu Raman. Courtesy of IFTHEN® Collection.
Photo of Ciara Sivels. Courtesy of IFTHEN® Collection.
Click here to see the full list of our generous sponsors