Girls and their families explore their STEM potent

SAN JOSE, CA --(Marketwired - February 16, 2017) - The Tech Museum of Innovation will host hundreds of girls and their families for " Dream Big: Girls Day @ The Tech " on Presidents Day, Monday, Feb. 20. The event will feature an array of hands-on engineering activities and partners encouraging young women to explore careers in science, technology, engineering and math. The Tech's goal is to inspire the innovator in everyone, which includes equipping and motivating girls with tools they will need to succeed in our technology-driven age.

"It's important that we allow girls the opportunity to grow in the tech industry, especially as so many Silicon Valley companies face challenges in diversity. Engineering, computer science and other STEM careers are more appealing to a broader segment of young women when they see the applications of those fields to solve problems and improve lives," said Gretchen Walker, Vice President of Learning at The Tech.

Many activities at The Tech are focused on solving a challenge to encourage learning not just for learning's sake, but to creatively solve problems visitors find relevant and interesting. Activities at Girls Day include learning to solder by completing light-up LED circuits; making mushroom bricks, a burgeoning sustainable building material; coding animated digital storybooks; and building devices that harness the power of wind to make deliveries.

Research has shown that the gender gap in STEM is not due to innate abilities, but rather to socio-cultural factors, Walker said. She said one important key to promoting women in STEM is raising a generation of young men who see STEM as something where men and women can collaborate as equals.

"We intentionally invite boys to The Tech's Girls Days. It makes a big difference for boys and girls to see themselves as equally capable in these fields, and we love watching them learn and innovate together," Walker said. "The best opportunity for successful innovation comes when you have more perspectives at the table."

Girls Day will also include a Women in Tech Scavenger Hunt featuring female innovators, giving girls and boys the chance to see how women have already helped shape the world. The event also concludes opening weekend for the film "Dream Big: Engineering Our World" in the Hackworth IMAX Dome Theater. The movie highlights the stories of people behind of some of the biggest marvels in modern engineering.

For more information visit TheTech.org

Dream Big: Girls Day @ The Tech is made possible with the generous support of presenting sponsor Intel. Other sponsors include BNY Mellon, Gregory P. Luth & Associates, Inc., Peoples Associates Structural Engineers, Schwegman Lundberg & Woessner, First Tech Federal Credit Union, Accenture and Cisco Systems, Inc. Partners include Benesse, Rogue Making and Girls Make Games.

About The Tech Museum of Innovation

The Tech is a hands-on technology and science museum for people of all ages and backgrounds. The museum -- located in the Capital of Silicon Valley -- is a non-profit experiential learning resource established to engage people in exploring and experiencing applied technologies affecting their lives. The Tech Challenge and The Tech Awards are signature programs of The Tech. The Tech's mission is to inspire the innovator in everyone.

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