ABSTRACT
Girls are smart, creative and talented they have the right stuff for STEM careers. Yet a 2013 report by the National Girls Collaborative found that only 13 percent of engineers are female. It wondered if girls would be more interested in STEM pursuits if the lessons involved challenges such as home architecture, toy design, formulating makeup, etc. Veteran teacher Laura Reasoner Jones, founder and director of the GEMS Club points out that our daughters are missing out on exciting, challenging STEM careers with high salaries and growth potential. To get some expert insight, tapped into the knowledge of Blair Blackwell, previous manager of Education and Corporate Programs at Chevron. Typical engineering issues of everyday life appeal to girls especially challenges that involve making the world a better place. Consequently, encouraging more girls to enter STEM courses and fields will require careful attention to the environment, beliefs, and practices in classrooms.
