Vermont EPSCoR strives to encourage young Vermonters to pursue a life in the field of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Partnerships are a key element of that work, showing budding young scientists a glimpse of the life they seek to pursue. For years, the partnership with Vermont Works for Women (VWW) has stoked the fires of scientific passion and provided resources to women who will one day enter a STEM field.
Restrictions caused by the COVID-19 limited in-person work during 2020 and 2021, but students can now take advantage of an on-campus scientific presence in the 2022-2023 school year. This includes two key offerings from VWW: the Women Can Do expo and the Rosie's Girls after school program.
Women Can Do
October 6th saw an important return, as the annual Women Can Do Expo returned in-person to host high school girls and gender-expansive youth who are interested in a STEM career. Vermont EPSCoR was a sponsor of the event, which saw over 260 high school students from 12 of Vermont's 14 counties.
Women Can Do is a full-day yearly event that provides an opportunity for students to get hands-on with science. This year, offerings at the expo included:
Early 2023 will see the return of Rosie's Girls, an after school STEM and trades program for girls and gender-expansive youth in the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. As with the Women Can Do expo, Rosie's Girls receives sponsorship support from Vermont EPSCoR. Taking the form of a week-long day camp, the program is offered all across Vermont.
“As we've done in recent years, VWW will be facilitating Rosie's Girls Afterschool at Winooski Middle School this coming winter (anticipated program dates of late January-March) with 6-10 middle school youth,” said Maisie Howard, VWW's Director of Development and Communications. “VWW youth team staff serve as program facilitators for the Winooski program—in this way, we are able to assess in real-time how the program is working for Vermont youth, and make curriculum adjustments accordingly. We are excited to get started!”
You can learn more information about Rosie's Girls, including their upcoming camps, here: vtworksforwomen.org/programs/youth/rosies-girls.
Looking to the Future
Vermont EPSCoR's ongoing partnership with VWW helps to ensure that these two long-running and important programs continue to inspire the next generation of women and gender-expansive STEM professionals. While women are historically underrepresented in STEM, VWW offers an opportunity to create a more diverse and innovative future!
