Center for STEM Education and Career Development

Carnegie STEM Girls

Presented by:

STEM Stars

STEM Stars is a collaborative project of the YWCA Greater Pittsburgh's TechGYRLS program and Carnegie Science Center's GEMS (Girls Engage in Math and Science) program with major funding from the United Way. The purpose of STEM Stars is to improve academic achievement and increase interest in, and awareness of, STEM topics and careers among economically disadvantaged girls; and decrease opportunity gaps that negatively impact these girls' successful matriculation through the STEM education pipeline and into STEM careers.

STEM Stars addresses barriers associated with middle school girls' engagement in STEM: inadequate access, opportunity, academic preparation, and attitudinal barriers that limit success and persistence in STEM. STEM Stars provides reading; math and science remediation and enrichment; hands-on project-based STEM activities; life skills development; mentoring; pre-college experiences; and STEM career exploration. STEM Stars is operating in 20 sites in the Pittsburgh Public Schools, Woodland Hills School District, McKeesport Area School District, and Propel Schools.

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Sponsored by:

Tour Your Future

Explore future STEM careers with Tour Your Future. This program gives girls ages 11-17 the opportunity to meet female professionals who work in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math. Girls can visit a variety of workplaces to explore diverse careers ranging from avian zoology and chemistry to cyber security and surgery. To schedule a tour or for more information, please contact Tina Seidelson.

Carnegie STEM Girls

Carnegie STEM Girls, Career Exploration is an innovative resource to inspire girls to see themselves in STEM careers through gaming and online activities. The initiative encourages tweens and teens to challenge and expand their knowledge of diverse STEM subject matter with connections to related professions, potential career paths and women making a difference. Carnegie STEM Girls uses innovative gaming elements and a sense of community to teach, enrich and encourage youth in pursuit of their future professional selves.

Click! Spy School

Click! Spy School engages girls ages 10-14 in solving mysteries and completing covert missions using key STEM concepts through informal project-based learning experiences. This program combines relatable and fun narratives with cutting-edge technology to foster tactile-based inquiry, real-world problem solving skills, and career exploration in STEM fields. Local and national female STEM professionals from esteemed companies and universities regularly contribute to the curriculum, guest counsel, serve as professional mentors, and act as cameo roles in the camps' narrative. Click! Spy School engages girls predominantly through Summer Camp programs at Carnegie Science Center, as well as through interactive online experiences and condensed activity sessions. Each program of the Click! Spy School promotes learning through "play," while incorporating elements of "design" and "make" into specific activities. Playing is an integral part of solving the mystery; by enacting the role of an agent-in-training, each participant is learning through doing.

Girls Engaged in Math + Science (GEMS)

GEMS is an off-site afterschool program that provides workshops for girls in grades 6-8. Each workshop focuses on a STEM topic and features local female role models in STEM careers. GEMS is offered at Pittsburgh Public Schools, the Wilkinsburg School District, and other partnering community organizations such as the Duquesne-West Mifflin Boys and Girls Club.