by Tracy Lee Karner
news@thenewsleaders.com
About 70 girls in sixth through ninth grade imagined themselves as future scientists, engineers, mathematicians and computer scientists April 9 at the “Tech Savvy” event at St. Cloud State University.
The American Association of University Women partnered with the university to present interactive workshops facilitated by professional women working in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics – or STEM for short.
For example, some of the girls at the event designed a web page and worked with 3D printers and scanners, used Microsoft Excel to analyze data, built solar-energy projects, located their latitude by examining the night sky in a planetarium and analyzed forensic evidence to solve a crime.
Avanthi Wijetung is a sixth-grader at St. John’s Prep in Collegeville. She lives in Sartell and enjoyed the 3D printing workshop the most.
“There were visual reality glasses you could try out,” she said. “That was pretty cool. I’m kind of looking forward to a career in science. I’m a little more interested now.”
Before attending the workshops, Wijetung was thinking about a career in photography.
“At home, we prepare them for math and science,” said Gayathri Wijetung, the girl’s mother. “But I never thought about once they become that career [woman]. I didn’t realize the differences in salaries for different genders.”
Jane Olsen is the founding director of the Women’s Center at SCSU. In the workshop “$tart $mart,” she told participants that in 2016, the pay gap between men and women is 22 percent. This means that each of the girls attending “Tech Savvy” could potentially earn about $500,000 less than a man doing the same work in a lifetime.
“Now I can prepare them to be stronger and to present themselves,” Gayathri Wijetunga said about her daughters.
Introducing them to STEM career opportunities and role models is very important to her. When she arrived in the morning and discovered the event was not quite filled to capacity, she persuaded the organizers to allow her to drive back to Sartell for her fourth-grader, Nivanthi.
Nivanthi said she really liked the workshops. And she, too, is now definitely more interested in a STEM career.
St. Cloud State’s AAUW “Tech Savvy” event was one of 22 being held throughout the United States this year. It’s the only one held in Minnesota. Student volunteers from SCSU STEM organization and STEM majors from the St. Joseph-based College of St. Benedict introduced speakers and acted as guides throughout the day.
To conclude the event, Jennifer Duffy, who grew up in Sauk Rapids, gave the keynote address. She holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Harding University in Searcy, Ark. She encouraged girls to have the confidence to break stereotypes and follow their interests.
“Girls generally want to do something creative and help people,” Duffy said, explaining many STEM careers offer those opportunities.
She is employed by Blattner Energy in Avon, where she helps design and support construction of solar-power arrays.
“If you’re afraid you’ll be the only girl in a STEM class, get your friend to sign up for the class,” Duffy said in her address. “And when you can’t make up your mind which major to declare, go for the most challenging one first.”
Katie Bensen sat on the panel that answered adults’ questions about how to help their girls prepare for and get into STEM careers. She is a project manager at Parallel Technologies in Eden Prairie and agrees the education is rigorous.
“Typically half of the students who enroll in STEM majors drop out,” Bensen said.
AAUW research reports that in less than 10 years, this country will need 1.7 million more engineers and computer scientists. In the United States, women make up only 12 percent of engineers and 26 percent of computing professionals. To fill all the jobs predicted to open up, young women need to prepare for these challenging and rewarding positions.
“These girls are the perfect age,” said Linda MacLoud, an AAUW member. “By the time they’re older, it’s often too late to interest them in STEM careers. And these parents are learning how to prepare their daughters to succeed in college.”
Nivanthi and Avanti Wijetung, sisters who live in Sartell, talk with electrical engineer Jennifer Duffy about STEM career opportunities for girls. Duffy grew up in Sauk Rapids and helps design solar power arrays for Blattner Energy in Avon.
Jennifer Duffy, who grew up in Sauk Rapids, presents the keynote address at “Tech Savvy,” an April 9 event at St. Cloud State University designed to introduce sixth- through eighth-grade female students to careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Sartell Middle School eighth-graders Lydia Anderson, Jaden Nguyen and Ayleigh Hammond (far right, front to back) were among 70 Central Minnesota girls to attend “Tech Savvy” held April 9 at St. Cloud State University.
