Johns Hopkins APL to Host ‘Girl Power’

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) is hosting a free introduction to careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) for middle and high school girls on Sunday, March 17, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on APL’s Laurel, Md., campus. “Girl Power” is a partnership between APL, the Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County and the Maryland Space Business Roundtable. The sixth annual Girl Power event attracted more than 1,000 girls and family members last year.

Attendees will have opportunities to meet and talk with professional women in their fields of interest, participate in hands-on STEM activities and see displays on careers in aerospace, computer science, electrical engineering, geology, information technology, engineering, space science and more.

“Participating in Girl Power is a great way for young women to begin to prepare themselves for the technical careers that are so critical to our future,” says Dwight Carr, APL’s STEM program manager. “The country is depending on our youth to do well in math and science and embrace STEM.”

STEM outreach efforts at APL date back to 1976. Today, APL’s ASPIRE high school mentoring program, NASA education outreach programs, Girl Power, Python Programming class, Maryland MESA (Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement) program and College Prep program engage more than 4,000 students each year and involve more than 500 APL volunteers and mentors.

Parents, families and siblings are invited to Girl Power and can find more information on APL’s STEM website under upcoming events. The expo will be held in APL’s Kossiakoff Center, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, Md. No registration is required.