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Rene Stratton, the program coordinator at the CareerConnectED Center, said there’s a big difference in the amount of girls entering into math and science-based careers compared to boys and Girls in STEM helps get them more interested in the field as a whole.
“It’s kind of a stereotype that boys like to build and they start young, and girls kind of get channeled into a different skill set,” she said. “They are perfectly capable of learning what we teach them.”
Girls from fifth to eighth grade are invited to enter the free program. Stratton said they cover a wide variety of topics, including forensics and mechanical engineering. An upcoming session will cover cyber security with help from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
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Ainsley Newell, an Indian Valley Elementary School student, said she learned about the program after she moved to Clark County from Oregon. She was interested because she aims to be a businesswoman in the future.
“Learning engineering might help me design products in the future,” she said.
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Stratton said part of the reason the program exists is because the things Girls in STEM teaches are going to be needed in the future.
“The way our industry and manufacturing is progressing, everyone is going to have to have that skill set eventually,” she said.
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