Many significant advances and discoveries in technological research made by women have positively impacted the STEM field, yet the ratio of women to men in STEM careers is largely disproportionate, with only a quarter of STEM workforce contributions attributed to women. Outreach programs focused on exposing young girls to STEM careers can help bridge the gender gap, allowing more women to make valuable contributions to their field of study. Middle school is commonly identified as a turning point where interest in STEM changes. Reaching students at this age is critical as their opinions towards STEM careers can be altered through positive and engaging experiences. Our partnership with Vine Middle Magnet School is where that magic happens.

The Girls in STEM (G-STEM) program exposes middle school girls to professionals, projects, and ideas they normally would not have been able to access. Led by Knoxville Area Urban League Young Professional Candice Halbert, a scientific associate at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and other STEM professionals from ORNL, these scientists conduct various experiments at Vine Middle Magnet School to provide hands-on experiences for the students. Some of the projects include 3D design and printing, robotics, coding, and chemistry experiments. The goal is for students to have a fun experience exploring the vast range of what STEM has to offer.

G-STEM also has a mentorship component. Students meet and interact with mentors who look like them to dive a little further into the four STEM subject areas. Our mentors, professionals with years of experience in a variety of STEM fields, encourage a deeper interest in the field. They provide a better understanding of computer programming, engineering, and mathematics; and they show, by example, that diversity is essential in STEM.

During our second year of operation, we wanted to reach more students in other creative ways and created the Build-a-Drone (BaD) program. Facilitated by STEM professionals with expertise in drone technology, the program was established to serve middle school boys and girls by tapping into their everyday curiosity about drones and exposing them to the growing world of unmanned vehicle technology.

STEM education creates critical thinkers, increases science literacy, and enables the next generation of innovators. According to the U. S. Department of Commerce, STEM occupations have a projected growth of 17%, while non-STEM occupations have a projected growth of 9.8% by 2018. It is our goal to increase the number of women and people of color in STEM occupations and change the trajectory in Knoxville.