Exploring STEM Day for local girls is April 13 at COW

Calling all girls in fifth grade through seventh grade, Exploring STEM Day will be April 13 at The College of Wooster for a day of workshops filled with hands-on activities where female professionals in a range of STEM fields will share their expertise in the work they do.

The local event was started over 30 years ago by a group of women in the fields of science and math, along with members of the local chapter of the American Association of University Women. It began as part of the national Expanding Your Horizons program. Thousands of girls in the tri-county area have benefited from the volunteer-run event.

Missy Schen, coordinator of Exploring STEM Day, said in the early 1990s, studies showed girls were losing interest in science and math when they reached middle and high school.

“Although some strides have been made, women and individuals from rural areas are still underrepresented in STEM fields,” Schen said. “Young people often think the only careers in STEM are in medicine or laboratories.

“We want to show our local students that there are a wide variety of STEM careers available where they can combine many of their interests. For example, a person who likes art and chemistry could combine them to study pigments to create or preserve art, a person who likes cooking and biology could design healthy meal plans for people with special dietary needs, or a person who likes writing and engineering could manipulate sounds and produce podcasts.”

There will be 20 workshops offered including the following:

—Delicious or Dangerous, in which a veterinarian will share a look at what common household items pose a hazard to pets and how a pet bellyache is diagnosed.

—Bots Like To Move It, Move It, in which a professor of mathematics and computational science will help girls program a robot to navigate a maze.

—The Humpty Dumpty Experiment, which will have participants competing to see who can build an egg-packaging device that protects Humpty Dumpty from his great fall.

—A paramedic will show how to treat different kinds of wounds, discuss when to always call 911 and demonstrate how wounds can be simulated for medical education.

Other options include the science of cosmetics, the benefits of yoga practice, learning about food chemistry, exploring the engineering world of energy logistics such as how energy resources make their journey to end use, a workshop on the role math plays in music and movement, and other things from creating pigments to how brains work.

Exploring STEM Day will be Saturday, April 13 from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at The College of Wooster. Registration at McGaw Chapel remains open until all spots are filled. The $15 fee includes conference materials, a light lunch and a workshop bag, and fee waivers are available.

“If your child thinks they can’t combine their many interests into a future career, this is an excellent opportunity to see how STEM intersects with art, music, food and design,” Schen said. “It’s a great opportunity to explore areas of STEM they may never have thought of before and to meet local women in these careers. It’s also a lot of fun.”

Sponsors, donors and volunteers bring the event to life and keep costs down for participants. Anyone interested in sponsoring should email Karen Skubik at karen.skubik@gmail.com. Those who’d like to volunteer, including presenting a workshop, should email Schen at mschen@wooster.edu. Schen also can be called at 937-751-6336 with any questions.

“If any parent or child is hesitant or has concerns because they may need accommodations, please reach out to see what we can do to help,” Schen said.

Register online at https://exploringstemday.spaces.wooster.edu/.