100 middle school girls explore all things STEM at free University of St. Thomas camp

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Middle school girls from around the Twin Cities metro are getting a real-world introduction to science, technology and engineering this week.

They are taking part in a unique program at the University of St. Thomas (UST). The Science, Technology and Engineering Program hopes to boost girls' interest in a future STEM career.

"We're making dry ice rockets. And we're not gonna aim them at each other because that would be unhealthy," said eighth grader Lucy Torborg.

Before launch, these middle school girls get a lesson in pressure, states of matter, and chemical reactions.

A hundred young ladies are taking part in UST's STEPS Program. The hope of the free, single-day camp is to get girls to see themselves in STEM majors and careers.

"And the curiosity, I hope. And the understanding of 'oh, I can do that.' So, the next time they come across a microscope, or a physics challenge they can go 'Oh yeah I've done that, I can do that again,'" said Becky Riethmeier, a STEPS instructor.

The gender gap in STEM is still significant. Women make up just less than a quarter of the STEM workforce in the U.S. In 2019, only 13% of working engineers were women.

STEPS empowers these young ladies to consider STEM through fun engineering projects, research, building, and learning about physics.  

"People are often timid when they're confronted with a new experience, and so that's one of the barriers we're trying to break is having them come to the space and have a fun, successful day," said Michael Gerard, UST's STEPS program coordinator.

STEM majors are a valuable part of any major university. The STEPS camp is part of a larger strategic plan to lead in STEM and STEAM education at UST. Right now, construction is underway on a state-of the-art center for collaborative learning.

"Our new STEAM facility, the Shoenecker facility is going to be a combination of engineering, science, music," Gerard said.

That collaborative, creative work is what the middle schoolers tell us they enjoy, along with seeing real-world applications.

"It's the creativeness of being able to do whatever you kind of want," Torborg said.

"You learn about physics and then you're like oh, and you go on a roller coaster, like hmm, how much potential energy are we gaining? It's interesting because like science is everywhere. You just have to look for it," said eighth grader Lydia Houck.

Looking to the sky, every launch today is a reminder of how far hard work can take you if you're willing to reach for it. It's an important lesson these young ladies are learning at an early age. Working among female peers has its benefits, too.

"It's more relatable that way I guess, because you know we all understand each other more than we would otherwise," Torborg said.