For years, Project Scientist has worked to introduce science, technology, engineering and math to girls in Charlotte through summer programs.
Though Covid-19 has kept the program from hosting its in-person Summer STEM Academy, founder Sandy Marshall said girls from across the country, and as far away as England and Brazil, have registered for the Project Scientist Virtual Lab.
The program first launched in Charlotte eight years ago and runs in three other states in seven cities, including Atlanta, Ga.; St. Paul, Minn.; and Irvine, Laguna, Los Angeles, Pasadena and Playa Beach/Silicon Beach in California.
Marshall said girls ages four to 12 can register, and the goal is to inspire and help them build a vision of what a girl can do.
"The research tells us that as young as 4-year-old children are taught that math and science is for boys," she said. "Project Scientist was created to fight against those stereotypes and self doubts that girls experience. We’re out there showing them these women who are thriving, and that’s possible for them as well."
In Charlotte, participants interact with women in STEM who work for companies and university like Bank of America, Duke University and Johnson and Wales University.
While the program had to be tweaked to fit a virtual space, Marshall said the girls are getting an experience very closely aligned with Project Scientist's in-person summer academy. The virtual academy also broadens Project Scientist's reach, allowing children outside of the eight cities to participate.
"I think we’ve created the best product possible given the circumstances," she said. "It’s not ideal, but we have some really exciting women joining us this summer."
In Charlotte alone, the virtual academy is hosting about 80 girls per week throughout the summer. Each child will receive a science kit the week prior that will have everything they need to do hands-on science.
Marshall said about 75 percent of the children who registered for the virtual academy are from low-income households. Those children, she said, will receive iPads in addition to the science kit to ensure every girl has the same experience.
"The research is saying learning loss from Covid is not good, especially around math in grades K-3 and especially in students who don’t have access to resources," she said. "It’s very important to have this as a math and science program for these girls this summer for them to have something to go to, even if it’s not in person."
Each day, they'll break up into classrooms of 20-25 where they'll work with a female scientist on tech topics like AI and robotics, climate change, tech for fun, water, food and aerospace engineering. They'll also have daily art and physical wellness sessions.
Marshall said during lunch the girls will have the opportunity to video chat with the scientists in smaller, more personalized groups.
The most exciting part of the week, Marshall said, are the virtual expeditions where the scientists take the girls on a virtual tour of their STEM workspaces. This gives them the chance to go behind the scenes and see what their mentors actually do. Marshall said it also allows the girls to envision themselves in those same roles.
"For them to be able to say oh I’ve been there, or I met this woman and she does this, it makes it all relevant and attainable and relatable," she said.
And Project Scientist isn't the only group with girl-focused STEM programs in Charlotte. Smart Girls HQ, Discovery Place Science and Digi-Bridge, among others, all have girls in STEM programs.
