Bucks County Conference Aims To Give Girls A Leg Up in 'STEM' Careers
By Jim Melwert
DOYLESTOWN, Pa. (CBS) -- Hundreds of girls in Bucks County, Pa. will have a chance tomorrow to connect with mentors who can help them pursue so-called "STEM" careers.
STEM, of course, stands for science, technology, engineering, and math.
Organizers of Bucks County's GirlSTEM conference point out that while women fill close to half of all jobs in the United States, they hold fewer than 25 percent of the STEM jobs.
Research shows interest in such fields spikes among girls when they are in elementary school, but wanes by the time they get to college.
"Our goal is to get these girls at that critical middle school, early high school age, so we're targeting girls in grades 6-10," says Dr. Lindsay Sides, with the Bucks County Intermediate Unit.
Sides says this year's enrollment is double last year's, and each of the 700 girls will attend three of 90 different sessions aimed at helping them succeed in STEM careers:
"They range from sessions like 'Ten Reasons Why You Should be a Nurse,' to working in wetlands, to spa science, where the presenters are going to share how scents and perfumes are made."
GirlSTEM is a partnership of the Bucks County Intermediate Unit, Del Val University, and the Women's Initiative of the United Way of Bucks County.
