Girls in STEM
Scottsdale Public Library
Innovation Synopsis
Creating a STEM program to address the inequities of women in STEM careers and providing access to quality STEM programming for young girls was the focus of the program Girls in STEM. During this program we were able to connect young girls with female STEM professionals so they could possibly see these fields as future career choices.
Challenge/Opportunity
There are many barriers to equal representation of women in STEM fields. One barrier is that they often lack mentors who can help them connect with STEM careers demonstrating that they are attainable. Many girls have little access to engaging STEM programs that are fun, safe, and hands-on. To address this challenge, SPL piloted a two day a week, six-week program in summer called Girls in STEM that focused on a vulnerable demographic — minority, middle school aged girls from low-income areas.
Key Elements of Innovation
For this program female STEM experts shared with the girls about their STEM careers through hands-on exploration. Day one of the topic they met the expert, engaged with the expert during a presentation and participated in exploration. The second day of the program the concepts discussed were expanded for more hands-on learning. This program provided unique insight into females in STEM and positively impacted the future trajectory of the participants by demonstrating future possibilities for the girls.
Achieved Outcomes
SPL achieved:
• Created new partnerships with women in STEM careers in our community.
• Provided active exploration and insight into STEM careers for middle school aged girls.
• Surveys indicated that 98% of participants felt this program was a valuable learning experience and would like to see it again next year.
• The program had 187 registrations for an average of 16 girls per program.
• One participant said, “The saddest week of the summer was the week we didn’t have class (programming) because of 4th of July.”
