On Friday, March 15th, the 8th-grade girls had the pleasure of attending the Young Women’s Conference in STEM hosted by Princeton Plasma Physic Laboratory (PPPL). The event took place at Alexander Hall Auditorium on the Princeton University Campus.
The morning started with an award ceremony recognizing exceptional STEM 10th-grade young women in the area and was followed by the keynote speaker, Professor Tania Lombrozo. Professor Lombrozo shared her inspiring journey through STEM and cutting-edge research in cognitive science.
After lunch, the students walked between the Jadwin building (physics) and Frick building (chemistry), attending an exhibition session for hands-on fun and discussions with various exhibits from STEM departments at the university and external companies and organizations, all geared towards allowing the students to explore the vast range of careers available in STEM.
They attended a career session to interview a panel of six women in the world of STEM, exploring the challenges women face in the industry, the joys of being at the forefront of scientific research, and the array of dreams the women still held for their futures.
They finished the day in the Taylor Auditorium in a session called The Amazing World of Chemistry, where a hilarious presenter set fire to things, created explosions, and generally awed them with her alchemy. It was a great way to set the students up for their upcoming chemistry unit – Atoms and the Periodic Table – when we return from spring break!
