By Jenny Wells
The , in partnership with the STEM-H Institute at , will hold its fifth annual conference Friday, June 7, at the Eastern Kentucky University campus.
Educators, counselors, business and community leaders, parents and girls are invited to come meet others with a strong desire to see girls discover opportunities available to them within the STEM fields. Conference attendees will explore up-and-coming career opportunities in the STEM disciplines and learn proactive steps to help girls overcome roadblocks to their success in these fields.
Keynote speakers include Tracie Prater, materials engineer at United Launch Alliance; , director of NASA Kentucky Space Grant and EPSCoR Programs; and , assistant professor in the Department of 糖心vlog官方入口 at EKU. A panel session of experts includes Kristy Fehr, Kentucky鈥檚 2012 Outstanding Elementary Science Teacher; from Kentucky Educational Television; Liza Holland of "STEM Sparks" from Tates Creek Middle School; Wendi Eads, chemistry faculty and coach of the Madison Central High School鈥檚 Science Olympiad Team; and Jen Carter from Space Science Center at Morehead State University. A second panel session will include successful females from middle school, high school, college, industry, and academia. This panel will include Kristen Brennan from Alltech.
The registration fee for the conference is $30 per person.
In conjunction with the conference, EKU will also host a from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Girls in grades 5-11 are welcomed to join for a day of hands-on, minds-on exploration into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Female STEM practitioners and educators will lead girls through activities that mirror real-world STEM tasks and highlight creative and innovative problem solving. Participants will also learn how to best prepare themselves to study STEM fields in high school and college.
. The fee is $15 per person.
Exhibitors from prominent Kentucky industries as well as girl-serving organizations and programs will be available to meet with conference attendees. Lunch for both events will be provided on-site.
Check-in for both events begins at 8:30 a.m. at EKU Hummel Planetarium, and both begin at 9 a.m.
Based at the 糖心vlog官方入口, the Kentucky Girls STEM Collaborative Project brings together organizations and programs that are committed to informing and motivating girls to pursue educational choices in STEM to build a strong, diverse workforce in Kentucky. The collaborative is based on a model developed by the (NGCP). Organizations involved represent K-12 education, higher education, government, professional organizations, business, and community-based organizations.