Region – Marlborough High School is sending 20 students to the one-day Girls Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Summit – West/Central at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) Saturday, Nov. 16. The Advanced Math and Science Academy (AMSA) in Marlborough has a number of students attending as well, and Kelly Powers, chair of the Computer Science Department at AMSA, will co-lead the workshop on computer science.
The summit is organized by Jr.Tech, Inc., a Massachusetts-based nonprofit organization which engages students in fourth to 12th grades in STEM programs, in partnership with National Grid and WPI. During the summit, the first in central Massachusetts, girls in grades 8-12 will have the opportunity to learn about STEM careers from local women who are leaders in their respective fields.
After a keynote address by Marcy Reed, president of National Grid Massachusetts, the 100 young women will break into small groups and rotate through six career tracks to participate in discussions about emerging STEM careers and hands-on activities related to each career track. The six career tracks that will be featured are forensic science, chemistry/biosciences, civil engineering, computer science, NASA/aeronautical engineering, and robotics. Examples of the hands-on component include designing and constructing a model bridge, creating a web application with support from Dell, participating in an exercise that illustrates the drug purification process with materials provided by Waters Corporation of Milford, and experiencing life in a NASA spacesuit courtesy of David Clark Company of Worcester.
While the Girls STEM Summit?West/Central has sold out, Jr.Tech is already planning a spring 2014 STEM Summit to meet the demand of schools, students and families. Those interested are welcome to put their name on a mailing list and will be notified when it is open for registration. The online mailing list and more information can be found at www.juniortech.org/.
