IEEE and Girl Scouts Partner to Get Girls Into STEM

The percentage of women working in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields continues to be low. Women made up 28 percent of the global workforce is in STEM last year, according to World Economic Forum.

IEEE and many other organizations conduct outreach programs aimed at pre-university college-aged girls and women, and research shows that one of the most effective ways to encourage girls to consider STEM careers is introduce them to female role models in such areas. This event can provide girls with valuable information, guidance, and tips on how to succeed in STEM.

To provide opportunities to introduce young girls to participants working in STEM, IEEE has partnered with Girl Scouts of the United States of America's Heart of New Jersey (GSHNJ) and its See Her, Be Her career development program. Formerly called “What a Girl Can Be,” the annual event is now in its eighth year and gives girls the opportunity to learn about STEM careers by participating in hands-on activities, playing games and asking questions of professionals at expos.

This year's event took place in May in Stevens Institute of Technologyin Hoboken, New Jersey. Volunteers from IEEE North Jersey Section And IEEE Technical Activities Future Networks the technical community were among the 30 exhibitors. More than 100 girls were present.

“IEEE and the Girl Scouts share the view that STEM fields require diversity of thought, experience and knowledge to be able to use technology to improve the world,” says an IEEE member. Craig Polksenior program manager tech community. He helped coordinate the See Her, Be Her event.

“We know there are not enough girls and women in STEM,” adds Joanna NurjahanGirls' Outreach Manager for the Heart of New Jersey Council. “We're really trying to create this pipeline that's needed to ensure the growth of women in STEM.”

STEM is one of the four pillars

Girl Scouts helps girls gain courage, confidence and character. The program is based on four pillars: life skills, outdoor skills, entrepreneurshipand STEM.

“We offer girls a wide range of experiences that empower them to take charge of their future, explore their interests and discover the joy of learning new skills,” says Noorjahan. “As they grow and progress through the program, they continue to develop and refine skills that build courage, confidence and character – qualities that prepare them to make a difference in the world best place. Everything we do helps build a strong foundation for leadership.”

Fruitful cooperation

The partnership between IEEE and the Girl Scouts began shortly before COVID-19 pandemic hit United States in 2020. IEEE section volunteers worked with IEEE TryEngineering To bring resources into fields that have historically been underrepresented in STEM, Polk says.

Trinity Zang, laboratory director at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Essex County, New Jersey, shows a girl. Scout Brownie, how to transfer liquid samples using pipettes.GSHNZH

During the same period, Girl Scouts increased their participation in STEM-related programs. They worked with IEEE USA Sections to conduct hands-on activities in schools. They also held job fairs and created STEM badges. Since then, cooperation has expanded.

“IEEE has always been a fantastic partner,” says Noorjahan. “They are always willing to help us as we work to get more girls into STEM.”

IEEE first participated in the See Her, Be Her career fair in May 2024, which was also held at Stevens Tech.

“Being able to introduce engineering and STEM to possible future innovators and leaders helps to better understand how social problems can be solved,” Polk says. “IEEE also benefits from a new generation knowing who we are and what our charity does to improve humanity through technology.”

“See Her, Be Her gives girls the opportunity to see women pursuing non-traditional careers and inspires them to dream big, overcome limitations and believe that they can do anything they set their mind to,” says Noorjahan. “It's about showing them that any path is open to them. They just have to go for it.”

One of the volunteers who attended this year's career fair was a senior member of IEEE. Gautami Nadkarni. Cloud Architect, she is a Senior Customer Experience Engineer Google V New York.

“I’m very passionate about diversity, equity, inclusion and other initiatives like that because I think that’s something that I’ve personally benefited from in my career,” Nadkarni says. “I had many strong supporters and advocates.”

She says she was inspired to pursue a STEM career after attending a lecture given by a female professor from Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay.

“I remember how inspired and empowered she was and I thought, ‘Wow, there’s someone who looks like me and goes everywhere,’” Nadkarni says. “When I look back, that was one of the moments that helped shape who I am career-wise.”

IEEE senior member Gautami Nadkarn decorated her booth at the career fair with a cloud motif.Gautami Nadkarn

She holds a Master's degree in Management Information Systems from State University of New York, Buffaloand B.Tech. from Dwarkadas Jeevanlal Sanghvi College of EngineeringV Mumbai.

Her career fair exhibit focused on cloud computing. She decorated her booth with a cloud motif and introduced herself to young people as a “superhero for big companies” because she helps them keep information safe and organized. She used child-friendly examples to explain to the Girl Scouts that she was teaching clients how to use supercomputers to better understand the information and help them determine what toys children want.

“IEEE and the Girl Scouts share the belief that STEM fields require diversity of thought, experience and knowledge to be able to use technology to improve the world.” — Craig Polk

“I think cloud computing is still an untapped area,” she says. “Many people probably don't know much about cloud engineering.

“I wanted to create awareness and experience to show that it’s not boring and show how they can use it in their daily lives.”

Her exhibition showcased the challenges cloud engineers tackle. To describe the basics of storing, managing, and processing data, she designed a data sorting exercise by asking participants to separate toys. dinosaurs by color. As a way to explain the importance data securityshe put together a puzzle that showed students how to protect valuable information. To demonstrate how AI can bring someone's wild ideas to life, she taught them how to use Google Cloudtext to image conversion model Image 3. The girls used their imaginations, which were translated into AI-generated images, including an image of a dog riding a unicycle on a boat. The girls also made audio messages in different voices.

“The exhibitors in See Her, Be Her are inspiring,” says Noorjahan. “It's inspiring to see the enthusiasm of the girls after meeting the exhibitors. Just a few minutes of interaction gives them a sense of their potential and sparks hope for the future, no matter what career they choose.”