If you want your daughter to study science or engineering in college, maybe you should start by enrolling her in an organization that can teach her how to raise a prize pig, put together a photography portfolio, or sew a quilt. Membership in 4-H, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture-sponsored organization for kids and teenagers (a staple at county fairs), has been shown to increase girls’ participation in science and technology activities. A Tufts University study found that 10th grade girls in 4-H are two times more likely to take part in science programs, and 12th grade girls in 4-H are three times more likely to do so. Now 4-H has joined the Million Women Mentors initiative that aims to match a million mentors with specialties in science, technology, engineering and math to girls across the country. Women make up 48 percent of the workforce, but only 24 percent of them hold jobs in STEM fields, numbers that 4-H aims to improve with this program, along with continuing to help kids raise some prize-winning goats.
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Tag: Girls in Tech
This Woman Is Inspiring the Next Generation of Female Engineers
When Mini Balachandran immigrated to the U.S. from India as a young woman, she struggled to learn English. But math and science were languages she always understood. Her father, a mechanical engineer, had taught her how to fix broken items around the house, which sparked her interest in engineering. Now Balachandran is the Production Lead for Naval Air Systems Command Manufacturing and Quality Division in Maryland, and in charge of media outreach for a program called STEM-ing that encourages girls to pursue science and engineering careers. The acronym stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, Inspiring the Next Generation, and that’s exactly what it’s doing. A group of 13 female scientists and engineers volunteer their time to teach a series of workshops for local girls and visit schools. This year’s event will bring in 140 girls in sixth through eighth grades who can choose to take classes on everything from DNA and veterinary medicine to the science of ship wrecks.
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When Nobody in Technology Looked Like Her, This Woman Did Something About It
Kimberly Bryant’s daughter was never “a girly girl”—instead she was interested in computer games, and aspired to become a game tester. Instead of just setting her daughter up with the latest gaming equipment, Bryant challenged her. Why not become a game developer instead of a tester? When she was studying electrical engineering in college, computers intrigued her, but none of the other people studying computing looked like her, a black woman, so she didn’t pursue that path. Bryant didn’t want the same discouragement to happen to her daughter. Two years ago she established Black Girls Code in San Francisco to introduce technology and software engineering to this generation’s girls. In this video sponsored by American Express, Bryant explains her mission and shows some future technology leaders in action. Black Girls Code has now expanded to eight cities and counting, so get ready for the next generation of software engineers.
Source: YouTube