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This article was published 1 year(s) and 2 month(s) ago
KIPP student Lia Diaz focuses as she solders a microchip n the MassDOT "Skies the Limit With Drones" workshop during the SMART Girls Summit at Girls Inc. of Lynn. (Spenser Hasak) Purchase this photo

Girls Inc. hosts annual Smart Girls Summit

Sidnee Short

March 27, 2024 by Sidnee Short

KIPP student Arlenny Xaltipa learns how to use a micropipette during the “Science and the Sea!” workshop at the SMART Girls Summit at Girls Inc. of Lynn.

LYNN — Who runs the STEM world? Girls.

Girls Inc. in Lynn held their annual Smart Girls Summit Wednesday, where they immersed middle school girls from around the area in all things Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).

Donna Crotty, Director of Development and Communications for Girls Inc., said that there were 114 girls in attendance from four middle schools: Kipp Academy, Breed Middle School, Pickering Middle School, and Thurgood Marshall Middle School.

Breed Middle School student Brenna Warren holds a sea urchin during the “Science and the Sea!” workshop during the SMART Girls Summit at Girls Inc. of Lynn on Wednesday.

This year, the summit was organized by Girls Inc. STEM Coordinator Ziaya Bell, who said her main focus is getting the girls excited about a possible future in the field.

“STEM is one of the fastest growing fields, but it’s also predominantly male-dominated. So, our big thing that we do here is try to open up the space for girls to show that, if you go to college, you graduate, you get into this career, you have greater opportunities,” Bell said.

Bell and Crotty both emphasized the importance of seeing women in fields they’re not traditionally in because it allows the younger generation to see a future where they hadn’t before.

“(It) sparks something that motivates the girls to take that next step,” Crotty said about the summit.

Breed Middle School student Jasenie Nunez touches a sea star.

The day starts off with a woman guest speaker every year, and this year’s was Monica Tibbits-Nutt, Secretary and CEO of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT).

Then, the girls break off into workshops where they learn about the vast amount of options a career in STEM could provide through activities and real-life examples.

Each workshop is run by companies who volunteered their time, materials, and services for the summit.

Thurgood Marshall Middle School student Caroline Burke tries on an Air Force helmet.

Workshops this year included Brain Games from Biogen; Climbing Higher from American Tower; Careers in Fishery Management from NOAA Fisheries; Light Up the Stars from Chandra X-Ray Observatory; Discovering Design: A UX Adventure from EBSCO; Skies the Limit with Drones from MassDOT; Exploring Our World with GIS: A Fun Journey into Mapping and Geography for Young Explorers from ESRI; Science and the Sea from the Northeastern University Marine Science Center; A Career In Medical Lab Sciences from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Humanizing Science For Emerging Innovators from Tufts University; Making Medical Devices With Medtronic from Medtronic; and Marine Careers: Whales, Waves, Chemistry, and More from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Sea Grant.

  • Sidnee Short

    Sidnee Short is the Item's Lynn reporter. She graduated from Boise State University with a Bachelor's degree in Media Arts with an emphasis in Journalism and Media Studies. Originally from the Black Hills in South Dakota, she went home after college to write for the region's local paper, The Black Hills Pioneer. Sidnee moved to Massachusetts in September 2023. She enjoys going to concerts, reading, crocheting, and going to the movies in her free time.

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