CLEVELAND, Miss. — The American Association of University Women (AAUW) of Cleveland recently hosted 255 girls from around the region for Tech Savvy, a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workshop for sixth through ninth grade girls. The structure of the program supports AAUW’s research, which aims to increase participation by women in STEM fields.
Dr. Glendscene Williams, Interim Chair of the Division of Accounting, Computer Information Systems and Finance, said, “If we’re to increase and diversify the number of women in STEM careers, we must start at younger ages getting them excited about math and science. Our approach must be engaging, where innovation and interaction are intertwined, creating a fun experience while increasing the knowledge to change their world all at the same time.”
Dr. Floyd “Super Reader” Stokes, Executive Director of the American Literacy Corporation donated 200 copies of “The Hill We Climb” by poet Amanda Gowans, and this year’s program featured a digital escape room and workshops in aviation, engineering, physical therapy, geospatial caching, coding, music production, nursing, fingerprint analysis and much more. The keynote speaker was Rhunda Amstead of Cigna, a global health service company.
Delta State University has hosted seven Tech Savvy Conferences.
Dr. Williams said, “Each girl was able to attend at least three of the workshops while they were here. Following the opening session, each girl received a t-shirt, books and related paraphernalia. The presenters of the workshops were primarily professional women who do this type of work on a daily basis.” For more information about AAUW, visit their website at aauw.org.
For more information about the Tech Savvy workshop, contact Dr. Glendscene Williams at gwillims@deltastate.edu or 662-846-4192.
