KU to Host Second Annual Girls in STEM Symposium Oct. 18

Students in Computer Science and Information Technology program.

KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Kutztown University's Departments of Computer Science and Information Technology, Biology, Geography, Mathematics and Physical Sciences are hosting the second annual Girls in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) Symposium, 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Tuesday Oct. 18, in 218 and 223 McFarland Student Union. Through this community outreach event, KU’s goal is to excite and empower girls with confidence and knowledge to become future STEM leaders.

Before the first Girls in STEM Symposium last year, KU hosted the ‘Girls in Computer Science Symposium’ the previous four years to encourage incoming freshmen to enter the computer science field. The university has since evolved the event to expose girls to all STEM fields.

The symposium last year was a huge success. This year, students will once again have opportunities to engage STEM professionals from local companies and explore potential careers related to these fields. There will also be a panel of female STEM professionals that students can interact with to gain more insight into what it is like overcoming male-dominated fields and becoming successful as women in STEM.

There are more than 100 students from 10 regional high schools attending the event. This is a significant increase from last year’s symposium, which had to be scaled-back due to the pandemic.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for young women to learn more about potential careers in STEM fields,” said Dr. Lisa Frye, event organizer and department chair of Computer Science and Information Technology. “Women remain underrepresented in most STEM fields and this allows young women to learn from female role models and shed the many misconceptions about STEM careers.”

For more information, contact the Department of Computer Science and Information Technology at 610-683-4340 or csitdepartment@kutztown.edu.