NASA Mars Mission Lead To Speak at Charlotte STEM Summit for Girls
Dr. Moogega Cooper, who heads NASA’s Mars 2020 Mission Planetary Protection team, will talk about her experiences at the Girls in STEM Summit. The event will be held at LendingTree Headquarters in Charlotte on March 22.
“In honor of Women’s History Month, I’m thrilled to bring the community together for the third Girls in STEM Summit,” said Anjali Dighe, founder of Girls in STEM, to wccbcharlotte.com.
Students will get hands-on experience with real-world tech through coding challenges, building robots, and exploring virtual worlds. Major companies like Volvo Trucks, Trane Technologies, and Duke Energy will lead students through interactive workshops.
What began as a small club started by teenagers Sydney Gibbard and Mina Shokoufandeh in 2018 has grown into a movement for change. Their efforts address a serious problem, women represent only 28% of the tech workforce, according to 2019 statistics.
Tickets cost $5, and kids under 17 need to bring an adult. Sign-ups will begin soon on Eventbrite.
Previous summits taught students how to build apps and code in different computer languages, with companies like Google helping to mentor young participants. These opportunities opened new doors for many students.
Morgan Romano, Miss USA 2022 and chemical engineer, previously fired up audiences from the stage. Like space pioneer Katherine Johnson, these role models show girls they can succeed in science.
“Inspiration Through Imagination” guides this year’s hands-on activities. While created for girls, the summit welcomes any student interested in tech careers.
Flight simulators hum while robots move across the floor. This kind of direct experience has been essential since the program started in 2018.
Studies show that meeting professionals in technical fields boost students’ interest in science. At the summit, kids get to connect with experts across many disciplines.
By keeping tickets affordable, more students can participate, exactly what the founders hoped for when they first began sharing their passion for tech with others.
