Austin Peay’s STEA student group invites community to discuss ‘Hidden Figures’ at spring book club
By: Megan Simpson and Wendell Comperry March 13, 2025
The Student Education Tennessee Association (STEA) book club returns on March 27 for its third event. It explores educational themes in popular fiction and nonfiction and is open to the community.
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — The Student Tennessee Education Association (STEA), an organization for aspiring teachers at Austin Peay State University, is hosting its spring book club event on March 27. Community members — especially teachers and school system workers — are encouraged to attend the free event.
The club will discuss Margot Lee Shetterly’s nonfiction book Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race at 4:30 p.m. on March 27 in Room 232 of the Felix J. Woodward Library. The book club is free and open to all APSU students, faculty, staff, and community members.
“I am excited to talk with students and colleagues about this book about groundbreaking women in mathematics,” said Dr. Joanne Philhower, STEA faculty advisor and assistant professor at Eriksson College of Education. “Participants can expect to have wonderful conversations and do some networking with individuals around campus.”
This spring’s selection shares the story of four Black female mathematicians who helped
NASA win the Space Race despite discrimination, segregation, and sexism. The career chronicle of Christine Darden, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Dorothy
Vaughan will leave a lasting impression.
STEA is hosting the event with Austin Peay’s Women’s Empowerment Month, which brings the
campus together to celebrate women with various activities.
“This book club will provide participants with opportunities to connect what they
read to the real world,” Philhower added. “If participants are not already familiar
with these women or haven’t seen the movie that was based on the book, then they will learn about Black women
who had a significant impact on the work of NASA and the United States’ participation in the Space Race.”
Interested readers should read the book before the event later this month to engage fully in the small-group discussions.
Students can email Philhower to pick up a free book copy before the event. Community and campus members attending should email Philhower to RSVP. Light refreshments and giveaways will be available.
For more information about the STEA Book Club, please email Philhower at philhowerj@apsu.edu.
About the Eriksson College of Education
The Eriksson College of Education prepares dynamic teachers and educational leaders to positively impact communities and schools in the 21st century. The college offers initial and advanced licensure, as well as nonlicensure programs. The college’s programs, including the nationally known Grow Your Own Teacher Residency, are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). To learn more, visit apsu.edu/education.
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Austin Peay's Student Tennessee Education Association invites community members to discuss "Hidden Figures" on March 27 at Woodward Library. This free book club event celebrates pioneering Black female mathematicians and coincides with Women's Empowerment Month activities on campus.
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