ODU to Host Private “Hidden Figures” Screening for Norfolk Public Schools Students

January 18, 2017

Stephanie Adams

The Batten College of Engineering and Technology at Old Dominion University is hosting a private screening of the top-selling box office film, "Hidden Figures" for about 200 female high school students and their teachers from five Norfolk Public Schools.

The event will take place at MacArthur Center Stadium on Jan. 25.

A number of current female students at ODU who study engineering, engineering technology, mathematics, computer science and physics will also be in attendance as well as faculty and staff from the college.

Stephanie G. Adams, dean of the Batten College of Engineering and Technology, said the goal is to encourage students to push past stereotypical attitudes that may hold back the emerging engineer, scientist, and mathematician within.

"I'm a firm believer that universities should have relationships with their local communities. I consider it an obligation that the college has to embrace these communities and we should do much as we possibly can to encourage kids in the community to pursue STEM-H professions and ODU is a place to do it," Adams said.

Special guests will include engineers Julie Williams-Byrd and Sharon Monica Jones from NASA, who will participate in a Q&A session with the students after the movie. Williams-Byrd has been designated as one of NASA's Modern Figures, women who have made notable contributions to NASA's space exploration. Jones, an Old Dominion University doctoral graduate, has led several agency-wide aviation safety risk and portfolio analysis teams and done extensive aeronautics research with NASA.