A free showing of the film “Hidden Figures” Sunday at the downtown Meridian Temple Theater will showcase the historic achievements of two women mathematicians and a woman engineer for NASA in the 1960s and are credited with helping launch astronaut John Glenn into space.

The screening of the the 2016 movie will begin at 3 p.m., part of recognition of March as Women’s History Month.

“It’s inspiring to everyone,” said Sinnessa Wilburn, a parent and one of the organizers of the movie event. “Although the film is mainly about the contribution of dynamic black women knocking down doors of discrimination, it also teaches us about teamwork, trust and achieving goals.”

The Meridian Star education reporter Robbie Ward, who also helped organize the event, said the themes of the film make it interesting and relevant and also can encourage young women to consider careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

“We need all of the engineers and scientists this country can produce,” Ward said. “We may have future history makers in the audience watching the movie.”

Scientists, researchers and policymakers with the National Science Foundation and other organizations throughout the nation routinely stress the importance of encouraging more women and minorities to pursue careers in STEM fields.

Four days after the movie showing, a Meridian Public School District graduate and scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will visit with students at Carver Middle School on March 29. Jamese Sims, a 1999 graduate of Meridian High who earned a bachelor’s degree in meteorology from Jackson State University and a doctorate in atmospheric sciences from Howard University, said she looks forward to visiting a school where she loved solving mathematical equations and answering questions using the scientific method.

“With science, I loved seeing how it all fit together,” Sims said in a phone interview from the metro Washington, D.C. area.

The television channel WeatherNation produced a news segment earlier this month with an interview with Sims, who said women such as those portrayed in the film “Hidden Figures” helped show women could succeed in science, math and engineering fields.

Sims is a GOES-R Series Satellite Data Product Manager with NOAA and NASA and oversees the development of operation processes, such as imagery and measurements of atmospheric information useful for weather forecasts and predictions.

Sims said she looks forward to visiting the school she attended and where her mother taught for 18 years as a seventh grade math teacher until her retirement in 2001. Sims, an engineer and meteorologist, she hopes to help inspire future scientists at the school.

“It’s important to reach students and see what really makes them spark and encourage and inspire them,” she said. “There are some things right there in Meridian that can benefit them in the long run.”

Sims said she plans to encourage students to participate in experiences outside of the classroom to help find the excitement and thrill of learning and also look into future partnerships with the school.

“I would love to partner with a science teacher or several to develop a meteorology club,” Sims said.