Delta State University will once again host Tech Savvy on Feb. 27, 2016. The conference for young girls is sponsored by the American Association of University Women.The American Association of University Women of Mississippi will once again host the Tech Savvy event on Delta State’s campus, scheduled for Feb. 27, 2016. Registration will be available at http://cleveland-ms.aauw.net/ as the date gets closer.
The a day-long conference is designed to show girls firsthand how science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields can lead to exciting careers. The conference, part of the AAUW National Tech Savvy Pilot Program, will welcome 200 sixth through ninth grade girls and their families.
“The Cleveland branch wants to host the Tech Savvy program because we see ourselves as climate changers, and we’re hoping our girls connect with local role models to help them achieve their career and educational dreams,” said Dr. Glendscene Williams, branch president. “The girls will be exposed to cutting-edge technology and become trailblazers themselves in helping distill the myth about women in STEM through the generosity of Delta State University, The Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi, The Exchange Club, Entergy Corporation and fellow AAUW members.”
Tech Savvy and similar programs are one way to increase the number of women in the STEM pipeline. Other recommendations, including suggestions for employers, appear in AAUW’s new research report, “Solving the Equation: The Variables for Women’s Success in Engineering and Computing.”
“STEM’s gender problem is well known,” said Jill Birdwhistell, AAU Chief Operating Officer. “We’re working with parents, teachers and employers on solutions like Tech Savvy because attracting and retaining women in STEM fields isn’t just the right thing to do — it’s the smart thing to do.”
Created in 2006 by Tamara Brown, then-president of the AAUW Buffalo, New York branch, Tech Savvy has since served more than 3,500 girls. As a result of her work, Brown was honored as a White House Champion of Change.
For more information, visit http://cleveland-ms.aauw.net/ or call 662-846-4233.
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The AAUW empowers women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy and research. Our nonpartisan, nonprofit organization has more than 170,000 members and supporters across the United States, as well as 1,000 local branches and more than 800 college and university partners. Since AAUW’s founding in 1881, our members have examined and taken a positions on the fundamental issues of the day – educational, social, economic and political. Learn more and join us at www.aauw.org.
