ITEM PHOTO BY BRIDGET TURCOTTE
From left, Jordena Reyes Nunez, Wendy Perez and Ashley Hughes learn how to use food to power a battery from Katelyn Ranni, an intern at Keurig.
BY BRIDGET TURCOTTE
LYNN — The ladies of Girls Inc. could be future scientists.
Girls Inc. of Lynn, a non-profit organization whose mission is to inspire girls to be strong, smart and bold, hosted its annual Smart Girls Summit Friday.
During the event, 130 middle school girls participated in three, 40-minute hands-on workshops taught by women working in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers.
“I think the girls that are a part of this program take away learning new things,” said Alyx Nelson, 13. “I want to be a doctor. I’ve always been interested in science.”
Still, she was surprised by parts of the workshops.
“When we made the bouncy balls, I thought it would stay a liquid,” Nelson said.
Giuliana Gasca, 12, said she lacked the knack for science, but found herself interested in all of the activities.
“I learned about density with the water bottles,” Gasca said. “Usually girls aren’t allowed to do as much in science and I think they should.”
Each workshop was designed to show the girls that STEM can be fun. The women told the girls about how they became interested in their career, and the challenges they overcame.
Representatives from Cell Signaling Technology, Northeastern University’s Marine Science Center, the Massachusetts State Police Crime Laboratory, the New England Veterinary Oncology Group, Salem State University, Keurig Green Mountain Inc., General Electric Co., Deloitte LLP and Warner Babcock Institute volunteered their time.
Jennifer Bailey, research engineer for Keurig, said the best part of participating in the activity is watching the girls interact with materials and explore.
“It’s great to see them interested in the same things I was interested in at that age,” said Cecily Allen, design engineer at Keurig.
The program has grown substantially since it first began 14 years ago.
“Last year, we had 10 workshops,” said Ann Ayala-Macey, STEM coordinator. “This year we have 13 workshops.”
The number of participating students grew from 100 girls last year, according to Ann Ayala-Macey, STEM coordinator. In the past, each child was offered a pair of 60-minute sessions, but the girls wanted more.
“They heard their friends talking about how much fun they had in other workshops,” she said. “Fifteen or so organizations are represented, which is a nice diverse group of volunteers.”
Maisha Bellah, Amia Reynoso, Jazzmine Sanderson, and Virginia Christian were recognized for participating in science and math in and out of school.
“There’s a couple of things going on with girls at this age,” said Lena Crowley, director of middle school programs. “They tend to start to turn away from STEM. We’re exposing them to these women, who have really interesting careers, and they can see that they are very fulfilling careers.”
Bridget Turcotte can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @BridgetTurcotte
