In the US, women represent 48% of the workforce. However, only 24% of these women are working in STEAM careers. The lack of women within these careers can be attributed to several factors including social factors, lack of opportunities, and gender based stereotypes. Therefore, in order to #breakthebarrier for Girls in STEAM, girls must be provided with opportunities to explore STEAM in real world context and to foster their curiosity through hands on learning.

This ideology represents the foundational values and overall purpose of Talladega County School's Girls in STEAM initiative. Within this initiative, 175 girls in grades 7 and 8 from 3 of Talladega County Schools (Childersburg Middle School, Fayetteville High School, Winterboro High School) collaborated to explore the concept of Girls in STEAM through exploration, hands on learning, and real world connections. The insight that was gained from these experiences allowed the girls to create a positive representation of the importance and impact that girls can have in STEAM.

This year, the Girls in STEAM Misson was to create a positive representation of the importance and impact of girls in STEAM that could be shared with the TCBOE community.

The first step in the process was for the girls to meet and explore STEAM careers and degrees that are currently available. Based on these explorations, the girls worked collaboratively to identify words and phrases that symbolized women in STEAM. These words and phrases were then used to inspire the creation of visual representations focused on Girls in STEAM. In order to bring these visual representations to life, the Girls in STEAM Design Team used TinkerCAD to create 3D models. Once the designs were complete, the Girls in STEAM icons were 3D printed and were spread throughout the community as part of a Geocaching Challenge aimed at educating others about Girls in STEAM.

Check out our Icons HERE!

Participate in our Geocaching Challenge HERE!