Amazon Web Services promotes STEAM careers among central Ohio girls by hosting annual Girls’ Tech Day
Amazon Web Services (AWS) has continued its efforts to empower the next generation of female scientists and engineers by hosting its AWS Girls’ Tech Day for female students in central Ohio. The annual event took place as the region’s economy continues to diversify with a variety of high-tech, digital-focused industries even as women remain underrepresented in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM).
AWS Girls’ Tech Day, launched by AWS in 2018, is a free, fun-filled education program addressing the lack of young women across the globe currently pursuing STEAM subjects. The program, which includes in-person and virtual events in cities around the world, has reached more than 21,000 girls and young women ages 8-24 with the goal of inspiring them to develop and pursue interests and careers in technology. Topics range from robotics to coding to cloud computing.
“The central Ohio event fostered a spirit of innovation among girls and young women, and cultivated their interest in different fields of STEAM,” said Sarah Georgiades, Head of InCommunities, America, AWS. “Through programs like Girls’ Tech Day, we hope to help create the next generation of thinkers and builders in the communities where we have a presence.”
More than 800 girls from New Albany, Hilliard, and Jonathan Alder school districts attended this year’s two-day event at COSI in Columbus October 21-22, participating in challenges ranging from building and coding dancing robots, designing workable catapults, and learning about livestream from Twitch streamers.
Attendees also heard from female leaders including Mikaela Hunt, the event host and Chief Communications Officer for the Ohio Department of Commerce; Jen Looper, AWS Marketing Develop Relations; and Cat DeLeonardis, AWS Director of Ground Infrastructure for Project Kuiper, an initiative to increase global broadband access through a constellation of more than 3,000 satellites in low Earth orbit.
“Girls being able to create their own ideas and problem-solve was really exciting to see,” said Susie Norman, gifted and talented teacher at New Albany Intermediate School, who brought 100 New Albany sixth-graders.
Why this matters:
While girls’ interest in STEM careers is increasing, their perceptions of their STEM abilities are decreasing, according to “The Girls’ Index: Girls in STEM Report” by Ruling Our Experiences (ROX), a suburban Columbus-based STEM advocacy organization.
On average, 55% of girls report they are interested in a career in STEM, up from 45% in 2017, according to the ROX report, with interest increasing the most (+25%) among 5th-grade girls. At the same time, girls’ overall perceptions of their abilities in math and science have declined since 2017 when 73% of girls reported they were good at math and science, the report found. Now, the figure is 59%.
Meanwhile, while progress is being made, women continue to be underrepresented in STEM disciplines in schools and the workforce. According to the Pew Research Center despite making up nearly half of the U.S. workforce, women make up only 25% of computer science-related jobs.
In addition, women have lower median earnings than men in Science and Engineering (S&E), S&E-related, and middle-skill occupations, according to a 2023 report by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics.