GIRLS IN STEM

While the ranks of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math have attracted an increasing number of females, our professional disciplines still suffer from a scarcity of women. Capturing the attention of young girls is a focus of Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day.

Facilitated by STEMWorks, the recent conference gathered volunteers, educators, and practicing professionals to act as role models, facilitate engineering activities, and show girls how engineers change our world. 145 middle school girls from 7 Oahu schools, had the opportunity to network with female engineers from across Hawaii. SSFM’s Maile LaFave and Dolores Herrera were among the professionals inspiring the girls. “Seeing so many young women in the audience makes me so proud and excited for the next generation of women. Our industry is changing and I feel lucky that we can be a part of that,” explains Maile of her IGED experience. Katie Taladay, MEDB Director of Education and Workforce Development, praised the event explaining, “This year’s Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day was huge success. For many of young women, this was their first experience on a college campus. It was a day filled with smiles and engineering inspiration.”

* Dolores facilitated one of six breakout sessions. Her focus was biomechanical engineering where she led a group of 30 students in successfully building a mechanical claw. “These were bright, young engaged students,” reports Dolores. “It was an overall great event!”

While the ranks of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math have attracted an increasing number of females, our professional disciplines still suffer from a scarcity of women. Capturing the attention of young girls is a focus of Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day.

Facilitated by STEMWorks, the recent conference gathered volunteers, educators, and practicing professionals to act as role models, facilitate engineering activities, and show girls how engineers change our world. 145 middle school girls from 7 Oahu schools, had the opportunity to network with female engineers from across Hawaii. SSFM’s Maile LaFave and Dolores Herrera were among the professionals inspiring the girls. “Seeing so many young women in the audience makes me so proud and excited for the next generation of women. Our industry is changing and I feel lucky that we can be a part of that,” explains Maile of her IGED experience. Katie Taladay, MEDB Director of Education and Workforce Development, praised the event explaining, “This year’s Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day was huge success. For many of young women, this was their first experience on a college campus. It was a day filled with smiles and engineering inspiration.”

* Dolores facilitated one of six breakout sessions. Her focus was biomechanical engineering where she led a group of 30 students in successfully building a mechanical claw. “These were bright, young engaged students,” reports Dolores. “It was an overall great event!”