'Tech Savvy' Conference inspires girls to pursue STEM careers
The gears of machines churned nearly as swiftly as the minds of the more than 150 middle-school-aged girls who attended the fourth annual Tech Savvy Conference at Triton College on March 25.
The fourth annual daylong workshop was organized in partnership with the American Association of University Women to educate young women and their families about career opportunities in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and math.
Volunteers from across the area, including female engineering and technology professionals, led groups as they participated in interactive workshops that put their minds and hands to work. Activities included designing and wiring circuits, creating solar panels, building 3-D architecture models and more.
Recent numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate there are about 90,000 architecture and engineering jobs in Illinois. However, only 14 percent of engineers currently employed in the United States are women, according to the American Society of Mechanical Engineering.
"The gender gap is an issue because when you don't have different types of thinking at the table, you won't get the best ideas across," said Triton College Engineering and Technology Program Coordinator Antigone Sharris, one of the organizers of the Tech Savvy Conference.
Raven McNally of Riverside worked with a team of two other girls to build a Lego robot that they programmed to move with a remote control. The Hauser Jr. High eighth-grader says she enjoyed the experience.
"I really like building things and making things work, so it was really fun to make this Lego robot," McNally said. "If you have an idea for something - you can build it, and these skills can help you learn to solve problems."
In another activity called STEM Divas, the girls used 3-D pens to create earrings, pendants and other jewelry charms. Mackenzie Thompson, a mechanical engineering student at Northern Illinois University, guided the girls as they combined creativity and technology.
Thompson enjoyed the opportunity to serve as a mentor to the girls and inspire them to pursue their interests.
"There are so few females in STEM fields, especially engineering," Thompson said. "Showing the girls that it's possible and that it's interesting shows them that it is a potential field for them."
In addition to the technical skills workshops, the girls also participated in savvy skills workshops that helped them develop and refine leadership and public speaking abilities among other things.
Tech Savvy Conferences started in Buffalo, N.Y., in 2006, and have since expanded to 18 sites across the country, including Triton College. The conferences are funded in part through a grant from AAUW and depend on the cooperation of dozens of organizations and volunteers.
"This is a team effort of multiple volunteers," Sharris said. "They're all here on their time trying to make a great event for these girls. The real success is that we've got all these people from all these different places working together for the same goal."
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