GROTON, Conn. (WTNH) — The Connecticut Woman’s Hall of Fame is encouraging young girls to become excited about careers in science, technology, engineering and math, with STEMFEM.
The organization holds STEMFEM events to give middle school girls a chance to participate in hands-on activities, led by women in STEM professions.
On Friday, middle school girls from across Connecticut attended a STEMFEM event at BioCT, in Groton.
Part of BioCT’s mission is to create a pipeline of people to take careers in bioscience in the state. Kim Kelly, the vice president of BioCT says middle school is when girls start to lose interest in STEM subjects.
“That’s where we want to get them consent rates on STEM and realize that there’s a career and that they can see themselves in the ladies that are working with them today,” Kelly said.
Christine Gray is a civil engineer at Loureiro Engineering Associates. She and her team used an activity to teach the girls about protecting shorelines from erosion.
Gray said she was inspired to work in STEM when she was just a kid, as she grew up in Florida and saw the devastation caused by natural disasters in the state.
“I lived through Hurricane Katrina and Wilma and saw the flooding devastation, erosion, so I wanted to make an impact in the world somehow,” she said. “As a female, we really need to make our impact in the world.”
Thanks to women in STEM like Gray, the next generation is ready to get started.
“I want to be a forensic scientist,” said Addie, a sixth-grade student.
The hands-on STEM activities were delivered by professional women in STEM careers who work at Pfizer, Medtronic and Loureiro Engineering.
