Girls CAN!

By: Bradley University, Peoria, IL

Through four events held throughout the spring, this CAP team worked to raise the awareness of 50 African American girls from low-income households in the 4th grade about STEM. The team aimed to increase the girls’ exposure and involvement with STEM activities, help them consider careers in STEM fields, and reduce the achievement gaps for girls, particularly low-income, African-American girls.

The hands-on STEM activities were mentored primarily by female undergraduate students and faculty. There were four events scheduled throughout the spring semester.  The first event on February 20 opened with words of inspiration from Dean Claire Etaugh, theAAUW liaison, provided hands-on stations across a variety of STEM disciplines including Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering and Physics, and concluded with an exciting chemical demonstration show performed by female students in Bradley’s Chemistry Club.

The second event on March 13 was a STEM Job Fair where 10 local female STEM professionals showcased their fields, including career opportunities and demonstrations, the professionals included: Chemists (3), Engineer (1), Education (1), Environmental Planner (1), Forensic Scientist (1), IT Specialist (1), Actuary (1), and Medical Technologist (1).

The third event on April 15 involved mock interviews administered by undergraduate STEM students. For this event the girls were asked to match their talents and interests with their dream career in STEM. Further opportunities to explore more hands-on activities in science and math were available to the students while they waited to be interviewed.

For the fourth and final session of the program they partnered with a local non-profit organization, METEC, to offer an event around Equal Pay Day in late April. The Pay Day event on April 24 allowed the girls to learn about pay equality, money management, and how career choices impact quality of life.

From their final report, the CAP team reported: "We had near perfect attendance with forty to fifty girls at each event...in every interaction we had with the girls, they seemed interested in and intrigued by the different scientific fields and they genuinely enjoyed the hands-on activities. It is too early to tell whether participation in the program did anything to decrease the achievement gap, but we have made connections at the two schools that will be valuable for future efforts."

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