FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE; Coverage Invited

                                                                                      Contact: AAUW NJ:  Karen Brown

                                                                                      908-685-3695; aauwnjTeentech@outlook.com

 

Event Date: May 23, 2017                                         Stockton University: Maryjane Briant

                                                                                       609-652-4593; Maryjane.Briant@stockton.edu

Galloway, N.J. - More than 280 girls in grades 9-11 and 35 educators from high schools throughout New Jersey will attend AAUW NJ Teentech 2017 at Stockton University in Galloway Township, on Tuesday, May 23. AAUW NJ Teentech is a day of hands-on workshops designed to engage girls in the broad opportunities available in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields. 

The program hosted by Stockton University, in Galloway, N.J., is sponsored by the American Association of University Women of NJ (AAUW NJ) in partnership with the N.J. Technology Education & Engineering Association (NJTEEA), the N.J. School Counselors Association (NJSCA), and the Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE-WIE) Women In Engineering of Southern N.J. The goal of the program is to encourage girls to explore the many high-demand, well-paying careers in technology areas and to pursue a STEM education in high school and college.

At Teentech, the students will participate in two workshops and work in small groups with girls from other schools. The educators who bring the high school groups to Teentech will participate in a discussion, based on the AAUW research “Solving the Equation: The Variables for Women’s Success in Engineering and Computing,” about why so few women are in STEM careers today and how more young women can be encouraged to pursue these careers.

“We have planned an exciting day designed to give the students direct experience with the many facets of technology, including using technology to solve a crime scene mystery; exploring the chemistry of modern cuisine; engaging in a speech “teletherapy” video chat; assembling Little Bits robots; testing water quality samples, building lasers, flashlights, web pages, and more,” said Stockton’s Dean of Education Claudine Keenan. “Our faculty, staff, students, and alumni intend to model the excitement and engagement of hands-on STEM activities as an entry-point to these fields in college and beyond.”

Participating high schools include Atlantic City, Atlantic and Burlington County Institutes of Technology, Black Horse Pike Regional High Schools, Bridgeton High School, Cinnaminson, Cumberland Regional High Schools, Delran, Egg Harbor Township High School, Jackson Memorial High School, Lenape Regional High Schools, Manalapan-Freehold High School, Ocean City High School, Ocean County Vocational-Technical School, and Wall Township High School.

According to Karen Brown, AAUW NJ’s project director for Teentech, “There are many reasons women are still underrepresented in STEM careers, but AAUW research shows that one way this can be changed is by actively countering stereotypes. AAUW NJ organizes events such as Teentech to give girls the chance to experience, ‘I can do this! I can work in a college lab, with computers, with math, and it’s fun and rewarding.’ We know companies want to hire more women, and hire locally – we’re helping the young women to be prepared.”

Members of IEEE WIE of Southern N.J., Marie Kee, Heather Tomasello and Christina Young, have helped in planning this Teentech event so that the students who attend can learn of the many exciting careers open to those with a good education in STEM. Teentech partners recognize that women are still underrepresented in STEM careers - in fact, fewer women work as computing professionals now than 25 years ago. They support the position that diversity in the workforce is important because diversity contributes to creativity, productivity, and innovation.

This year, AAUW NJ is happy to be sponsoring two Teentech 2017 events.  The other Teentech 2017 will be held on May 22 at Ramapo College of New Jersey in Mahwah. Approximately 130 girls and 20 educators are expected to attend.

 

American Association of University Women (AAUW) is a nationwide network of more than 170,000 members and donors, 1,000 branches, and 800 college/university partners. For 130 years, AAUW members have examined and taken positions on the fundamental issues of the day - educational, social, economic, and political. AAUW NJ website: www.aauwnj.org

Stockton University was founded in 1969 as a public, four-year college within the New Jersey system of higher education as Richard Stockton State College.  Stockton became a university in 2015.  It offers baccalaureate and graduate level programs in the arts, sciences and professional studies. A residential university whose students are drawn from throughout the state, Stockton is located in New Jersey’s Pinelands National Reserve, 12 miles northwest of Atlantic City, with other locations in Manahawkin, Atlantic City, Woodbine and Hammonton, N.J.; visit: www.stockton.edu