Students participate in STEM Conference at UCSB

Naiyma Houston, from left, founder and director of Upper Hand to College, was one of the presenters of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) Conference for girls held at UCSB; with guest experts Melissa Soriano, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineer; Dr. Anita Sengupta, NASA scientist who worked on the Mars Curiosity Rover; Arisha Williams Ali, Clinical Research Study Manager, Amgen Inc.; and TaShanna LaBorde, Senior Mechanical Engineer Northrop Grumman. Courtesy photo.

SANTA BARBARA — Women leaders in science, engineering and education shared their expertise and time with more than 200 girls in grades 6-12, parents, teachers and counselors at the recent 2012 Upper Hand to College STEM Conference, held at UCSB, organizers reported in a media release.

The panel discussed ways to encourage more young women to go into STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields. Experts included Dr. Anita Sengupta, a NASA scientist and engineer who worked on the Mars Rover Curiosity project, as well as author Robin McDougal, M.Ed. Several local and regional nonprofits participated, sending small or large groups of their members to benefit from the engaging academic encouragement and hands-on workshops, including Make Your Own Lip Balm; Build a Water Filter; Dissect a Hair Dryer; Build a Hot Air Balloon; and Build a BlinkyBug.

Few girls are pursuing careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math fields. A recent Girl Scout Research Institute study found that 17 percent of high school girls are interested in STEM fields, yet women account for only 20 percent of the bachelor’s degrees in engineering, computer science and physics. Furthermore, while women make up nearly 50 percent of the U.S. workforce, they hold less than 25 percent of the jobs in STEM.

For more information about Upper Hand to College, call (805) 984-2656 or visit www.upperhandtocollege.com.

Young participants take part in a workshop where they “dissected” a hair dryer at the recent STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Conference presented by local education company Upper Hand to College and held at UCSB. The conference was targeted for girls in grades 6-12, parents and educators, and offered a fun, inspiring and motivational day, geared toward increasing the number of women in STEM fields, and providing tools for parents for education advocacy and preparing teens for college and science careers. Upper Hand to College founder Naiyma Houston created a top notch roster of woman leaders in science, engineering and education to share their experience and advice with the more than 200 students, parents and teachers attending. Guest experts included Dr. Anita Sengupta, a NASA scientist and engineer who worked on the Mars Rover Curiosity project, as well as acclaimed author Robin McDougal, M.Ed. Courtesy photo.