STEM Is Not Just For Boys

Move over boys, the girls are getting a shot at STEM.  And that stands for the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.  The Science Club for Girls has recently partnered with AmeriCorps to create opportunities for local girls to study STEM subjects. 

Gina Varamo is a Massachusetts promise fellow for AmeriCorps. She works with the Science Club for Girls and said “in a world where in the field of computer science only 20 people out of 100 are female, the club is attempting to level the playing field.”

According to Varamo, the Club gives girls the opportunity to learn about STEM subjects in a less threatening environment.

Traditionally math and science have been seen as “boy” subjects. But the Science Club for Girls gives females a chance to explore these academic fields without that stereotype. So it is easier for them to have an interest in those fields, and eventually some of the girls will choose to work in them.

The partnership creates free programs for girls from K-12^th grade. Elementary school programs explore the different science topics, while the middle school programs focus on the engineering aspect by creating an idea and hopefully proposing it to a company. This prepares students for the high school challenge team, which then breaks them into groups to focus on one area of STEM.

Varamo is the program manager of one of the challenge teams, the rocket team. They work with Aurora Flight Sciences to build rockets that are entered into a national rocket competition.

“These programs are a safe place where girls are encouraged to explore these fields,” said Varamo.

Even if some of the girls chose a different field, Varamo said that at least they would not have been discouraged by a society that considers those subjects as being only for the boys.