March 5, 2012

APL hosts ‘Girl Power’ event to encourage STEM careers

The Applied Physics Laboratory is hosting a free introduction to careers in science, technology, engineering and math for middle and high school girls from 3 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, March 11, on APL’s Laurel, Md., campus. Girl Power: Reach for the Stars is a partnership of APL, the Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County and the Maryland Space Business Roundtable. This is the third annual Girl Power event, which last year attracted nearly 750 girls and their parents.

Attendees will have opportunities to meet and talk with professional APL women in their fields of interest, participate in STEM activities and see displays on careers in aerospace, computer science, electrical engineering, geology, information technology, engineering, space science and more. Also, a science show will demonstrate how science can be fun.

“The country is depending on our youth to do well in math and science and embrace STEM careers,” said Ralph Semmel, director of APL. “Participating in Girl Power: Reach for the Stars is a great way for young women to prepare themselves for the technical careers that are so critical to our future.”

STEM outreach efforts at APL date back to 1976. Today, its high school Gifted and Talented Intern/Mentor Program, NASA education outreach programs, Girl Power, Python programming class, Maryland MESA (Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement) program and college prep program engage more than 4,000 students each year.

Parents, families and siblings are invited to the expo, which will be held in APL’s Kossiakoff Center. No registration is required.