HomeMy WebLinkAboutCalgary school girls explore STEM opportunities at 18th annual Explore IT conference - Metro Calgary - 05/10/2017 - Metro Calgary - 05/10/20175/11/2017 Calgary school girls explore STEM opportunities at 18th annual Explore IT conference
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Calgary school giiirllls explore STIE11M clplp irtuiniiitiie.s at 18th annual l Explore IIIT conference
Nearly 750 girls participated in the Explore IT conference at SAIT, U of C and Mount Royal
University
By: Ill....0 6iiie IlEdwairdk:aa:aun Metro, Published on Wed IMay 10 2017
If you ask Beyonce, the answer to the question `who runs the world?' is easy.
Girls.
On Wednesday, nearly 750 of Calgary's very own girls took over the traditionally male
dominated areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) at the 18th annual
Explore IT conference at SAIT, the University of Calgary and Mount Royal University.
The annual event is held simultaneously at all three post -secondary institutes and is specific to
Grade 9 girls. The unique experience offers them "inspirational and motivational environments"
to help set their sights on opportunities in the various STEM fields.
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http://www. m etronews.ca/news/cal gary/2017/05/10/girls-exo ore- stem-opportunities-expl ore -i t- conference. pri nt. htm I 1/3
5/11/2017 Calgary school girls explore STEM opportunities at 18th annual Explore IT conference
One of the organizers, Mo Keshavjee, of SAIT's school of information and communications
technologies, said the goal of the conference is to ask them the questions: What are you
passionate about? What do you love? What is your goal? And, how can we help you get there?
"We want to empower these young women to know that they're capable of doing these STEM
jobs," he said.
Maria Dimancheva, a Grade 9 student from Branton Bilingual Jr. High, spent her day building a
calculator and making a brain game. She said the conference has been an enlightening
experience for her.
"I think it's a really good opportunity because we don't get much hands-on experience. We
have a lot of language and more literal courses, so I found this experience to be really
valuable," she said.
Dimancheva said especially for girls her age who are heading into high school, events like this
help them build confidence.
"We need the confidence to do well in our courses and to know that women are accepted in
society and we can do everything male individuals do," she said. "I think this is a great
opportunity because with the keynote speaker and the presentations we saw that even though
women are not dominant in technology, they have a lot to contribute."
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Kenzie Sclhellleir, 14, fraairrn a lillfiaall s II figh School in IBlack IDiairrrnoind, and Georgia II luMuQ.cIhi,:oin 14, firoirnm
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5/11/2017 Calgary school girls explore STEM opportunities at 18th annual Explore IT conference
Keeshavjee said the girls were given the opportunity to explore things like electronics
engineering, app building, computer programing and more.
"The underlying message for this whole thing is that we want them to stick with science and
math courses in high school, and then when they're done and off to post -secondary they'll think
of science and technology as a career path."
Keeshavjee said STEM fields are no longer male dominated, and that more and more
employer are looking for women to fill jobs.
"The reason is that women think differently, they have more patience, they have good attention
to detail," he said. "We're trying to get these young women to understand that this is a career
path for them, so they can begin to see it is possible for them."
http://www. m etronews.ca/news/cal gary/2017/05/10/girls-exo ore- stem-opportunities-expl ore -i t- conference. pri nt. htm I 3/3
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