Grove City College, in collaboration with Midwestern Intermediate Unit IV will host the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Women’s Initiative STEM Summit on Jan. 6 in the Hall of Arts and Letters on campus.

The program is designed to inspire middle and high school-age girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. The summit will provide students with various STEM interest-building activities led by MIT graduates and local STEM leaders, include hands-on projects, question and answer sessions and a tour of Grove City College’s STEM Hall. In addition, STEM professionals from local companies, including LECOM, ASSET and Covestro – formerly Bayer – will discuss STEM-related topics with the students.

“Opportunities such as this are critical to increasing the number of women that pursue STEM careers, which is necessary to meet the growing national need for STEM professionals,” Dr. Stacy Birmingham, dean of the Hopeman School of Science, Engineering and Mathematics at Grove City College, said. “My own desire to pursue engineering was fostered by engineering professionals that I met while in high school, and it is my hope that this event will spark an interest in the STEM disciplines for many of these young women.”

Over 300 local middle and high school students from the following districts are registered for the event: Grove City Area; Hermitage; Ellwood City Area; Karns City Area; Laurel; Lawrence County Career and Technical Center; Moniteau; Neshannock; New Castle Area; Mercer Area; Shenango Area; and Wilmington Area.

The MIT Women’s Initiative reaches approximately 6,000 middle and high school girls each year in nearly every state in the country. To learn more about the initiative, click HERE.

Midwestern Intermediate Unit IV is an educational service agency that provides programs and services to 27 school districts in Butler, Lawrence, and Mercer Counties. As one of 29 Intermediate Units in Pennsylvania, MIU IV implements projects administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the State Board of Education, the General Assembly, and the United States Department of Education.

Grove City College is committed to advancing STEM education for all students and providing educational opportunities to regional schools. To find out more about our science, technology, engineering and mathematics majors and the Hopeman School of Science, Engineering and Mathematics, visit www.gcc.edu/hopeman.