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To interest girls in studies and careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), TI recently supported a program sponsored by the Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas (GSNETX), welcoming 72 girls entering ninth-12th grade to explore STEM careers.
The "College Journey - Teaming for Tomorrow" program, supported by donations from TI and Fluor Corporation, included five days of workshops at the University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas), which prompted girls to consider careers in STEM and experience life on a college campus.
The girls spent five days living in a residence hall on the UT Dallas campus and were mentored by women currently working in STEM careers, including some of TI's female engineers. The TI engineers helped the girls build catapults and networked with them at a TI-sponsored dinner. During the dinner, the TI women switched tables at each course so they could interact with all the girls and answer questions about their careers in technology.
TI is continuing its partnership with GSNETX by providing funds and encouraging girls to explore STEM. The donations from TI and Fluor helped GSNETX provide scholarships for more than 60 percent of the girls participating in the program.
"We partner with Girl Scouts because we absolutely need girls to be engaged in STEM careers," said Trisha Cunningham, TI's worldwide chief citizenship officer. "Today's jobs require advanced math and science skills, and the technology breakthroughs of tomorrow will be created by a workforce with STEM skills. Women are currently underrepresented in engineering and other STEM fields, and we need their intellect and creativity to solve our world's challenges, such as improving healthcare, saving energy, making cars safer and addressing environmental and security issues. Our future depends on it."
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| TI engineer Punya Prakash helps a girl scout build a catapult during a College Journey workshop aimed at igniting girls' interest in STEM studies. |
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| Women engineers from TI mentored girls participating in College Journey by helping them with hands-on science experiments and answering questions about their careers in the technology field. |
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Less than 25 percent of women are employed in STEM fields even though women make up almost half of the nation's workforce, according to a study conducted by the U.S. Department of Commerce.
TI and the Girl Scouts aim to change these statistics by sponsoring programs like College Journey. Last year, the local Girl Scouts' STEM initiative ramped up as the organization launched its engineering patch sponsored by TI.
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