Empowering Girls: Tulsa Regional STEM Alliance Hosts Free Robotics Workshop

Tulsa Regional STEM Alliance wants to inspire more girls to pursue a career in STEM.

On Saturday, Nov. 9th the nonprofit is having its first Women in STEM Girls Robotics Workshop. The event is free for girls in 6th-12th grade.

"Our goal for this event is really to give girls a sense of belonging in STEM and let them know that computer science, robotics, and engineering are all potentially things they can go into as a career later on in life," said Tulsa Regional STEM Alliance Program Manager, Rachel Christy.

According to the National Science Foundation, 65% of positions in STEM fields are held by men, while women make up only 35%.

"There are not as many women in those leadership positions, which is really where we want to see them to be able to have a seat at the table and have a voice to voice for other women," said Christy.

She uses her current role to give young girls something she never had growing up.

"Living in a rural community I did not have a lot of exposure to all the opportunities that were available to me," Christy said, "I want all kids to know that they have value, they are important, that they matter to us, especially with the things that they can do and accomplish. Everybody has a possibility; we just want to be able to tap into that."

During the free workshop, the students will collaborate in teams and learn the fundamentals of coding.

"They will get to identify a solution, build it, test it, and then they will have a friendly competition in the afternoon to be able to see if their design worked," said Christy.

The students will also get to meet successful women in STEM who will share their journeys.

The workshop is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Wilson Teaching & Learning Academy in Tulsa. Breakfast and lunch will be provided.

To register visit TulsaStream.org