Only 12 percent of engineers in the U.S. are women so it’s no wonder, according to the Girl Scout Research Institute, that more than half of all girls say they don’t typically consider a career in STEM. That is why the District’s long-term partnership with Ashley Hall, a girls’ day school for children two years old through 12th grade, is so important. Woven into the school’s curriculum are opportunities for the girls to understand the correlation between mathematical concepts and scientific applications, making both disciplines more meaningful, rewarding and relevant. That philosophy goes hand-in-hand with the District’s STEM goals.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is an Army leader in STEM education and outreach and USACE Chief of Engineers Lt. Gen. Thomas Bostick takes that to heart and puts great effort into exciting students about the impact they can make with a STEM foundation. He recently took time out of his busy schedule to talk on the phone with Auburn Jeffries, daughter of the Charleston District’s chief of corporate communications, who is an Ashley Hall 10th grade student, about his experiences in the Pentagon on a day we will all remember forever, September 11, 2001.
“We are committed to teaming with others to strengthen STEM related programs that inspire current and future generations of young people to pursue careers in STEM fields,” said Bostick.
Bostick certainly made an impact on Jeffries; she made an A on her research paper!