There have been many significant advances and discoveries in technological research made by women that have positively impacted the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) domains of our society. Yet, the ratio of women to men in STEM careers is largely disproportionate, with only a quarter of the STEM workforce contributions attributed to women. Outreach programs focused on exposing young girls to STEM careers can help bridge the gender gap allowing more women to make valuable contributions to their field of study. Middle school is commonly identified as a turning point where interest in STEM changes; reaching students at this age is critical as their opinions towards STEM careers can be altered through a positive and engaging experience.

Girls in STEM was established to expose young ladies in middle school to current STEM professionals, projects, and ideas that they normally would not have access to. STEM professionals  conduct various experiments at a Knox County school to provide hands-on experiences for the students throughout the school.

In our second year of operation, we wanted to reach more students in other creative ways, hence Build-a-Drone was established. With this co-ed program we can serve young men and women and tap into their everyday curiosity about drone technology. 

STEM education creates critical thinkers, increases science literacy, and enables the next generation of innovators. According to the U. S. Department of Commerce STEM occupations have a projected growth of 17%, while Non-STEM occupations has a projected growth of 9.8% by 2018. In this increase, we'd like to see the number of women and cultural minorities grow as well.