Catalysts for Change: STEM Workshops for Female High-School Students
Catalysts for Change: Gaining Momentum for Women in STEM Fields is an outreach program that invites St. Louis-area ninth grade female students to Washington University's campus for a series of day-long workshops. Each workshop is focused on a separate area in STEM (Biology/Biotechnology, Physical Sciences, Engineering) with several short activities that the students completed in small groups facilitated by a female undergraduate from a STEM field. This program aims to increase the number of young women who are interested in STEM. Through a three-tiered mentoring program between graduate, undergraduate, and high-school students, the participants gained leadership skills, self-confidence, and the knowledge to succeed in STEM fields. The program's first year (2011) was supported by a Campus Action Grant from the American Association of University Women (AAUW).