2020 West Virginia Wonder Woman Jennifer Robertson-Honecker

The mothers, the millennials, and the mavens. Changing our communities.

This is our seventh annual unveiling of 50 amazing women who are raising the bar in their communities, serving as beacons of light in their industries, and forcing change for the greater good. Meet this West Virginia Wonder Woman, Jennifer Robertson-Honecker, and many more that are creating a better West Virginia with their can-do attitudes and Mountain State spirit.

Making the Best Better

Jennifer Robertson-Honecker is a first-generation college student from Harrison County. After earning her Bachelor of Arts in secondary education from Fairmont State University, she taught science in the public school system. She went on to earn her doctorate in chemistry from West Virginia University and, in her previous role as a teaching assistant professor of chemistry, she empowered elementary education majors to implement STEM activities in their own classrooms.

In her current position as an associate professor and STEM specialist for WVU Extension Service’s 4-H Youth Development Program, RobertsonHonecker’s outreach extends beyond the classroom and directly to youth. Each year, she takes accessible science programming to thousands of students in rural communities. When the pandemic cancelled youth events across the state, she and her colleagues ran virtual coding clubs for more than 300 third through eighth graders. She calls this work “sneaky science.”

In 2018 and 2019, Robertson-Honecker’s work was nationally recognized as part of the 4-H National Youth Science Day Challenge. Working directly with Google and National 4-H, she
created the computer science projects Code Your World and Game Changes, which reached 500,000 youth. She is also the director WVU STEMCARE, oversees the University’s STEM Ambassador Program, and coordinates signature STEM events, such as the State Science Bowl, for WVU.

Click here to read about our other 2020 West Virginia Wonder Women