2025 News 2025: STEM4Girls event introduces girls to the Blue Economy and encourages pursuit of science

Over 100 young students gain STEM experience from scientists and researchers in collaboration with UMassD's Kaput Center

UMassD and The Kaput Center welcomed over 100 girls to campus for the 13th annual STEM4Girls. This yearly community outreach event introduces young girls across the SouthCoast to opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The program is free, and welcomes girls in grades 3-8 from Greater New Bedford, Fall River, and Dartmouth to UMassD to work with STEM professionals on various hands-on activities and experiments.

Research shows that by the time girls reach the 8th grade, their interest in STEM drops off significantly. Additionally, women make up only 23% of the STEM workforce.

STEM4Girls aims to bridge the gender divide in STEM professions by connecting girls with role models and hands-on experiences that inspire them to visualize a future in science from a young age.

The 2025 program's theme was the Blue Economy and focused on sustainability in ocean-based industries. The SouthCoast is a national leader in aquaculture, marine robotics, offshore wind, and fisheries, and the Blue Economy offers an ideal framework for connecting students with local innovation.

Connecting young students with the Blue Economy and STEM professionals

This year's keynote speaker was Nishita Roy-Pope, founder and CEO of Courage Builders (formally Tribe Academy). She is also a former executive at Dell Technologies and an active partner of regional universities, including UMassD.

Roy-Pope, student volunteers, local community members, and UMassD faculty came together to show these young girls that a future in STEM is possible. They participated in 18 volunteer-led workshops to exercise imaginative investigation and real-world problem-solving skills.

"STEM4Girls thrives because of the incredible demand from our community and the generosity of those who step forward to make it happen. Every volunteer, educator, and STEM professional who gives their time reminds us that when we work together, we can open doors for the next generation of innovators," said Shakhnoza Kayumova, professor of education.

This year's activities included:

• Designing renewable energy harvesters with Assistant Professor Banafsheh Seyedaghazadeh 
• Exploring 3D printed materials with Professor Vijaya Chalivendra 
• Modeling sea level rise with Erika Fernandes from the New Bedford Whaling Museum
• Tracking shark behavior with Michaela Nix from the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy
• Visualizing plastic pollution with Assistant Professor Ana Doblas 
• Citizen science gaming with Associate Professor Firas Khatib 
• Fish anatomy and printing with Alison Moore from SMAST 
• Salt marsh conservation with Abby Abrahamson from Mass Audubon
• Ocean density experiments with Professor Pia Moisander 
• Make Waves: Speak Up for the Ocean with Tobey Eugenio from Our Sisters' School
• Marine food chain simulations, aquatic coding, and more

STEM4Girls is made possible by contributions from The Jacobs Family Foundation and the Blue Economy Initiative. This generous support has allowed the program to double in size over the past two years, engaging almost 300 girls from local communities and 100 adult volunteers with speakers from NASA, MIT Media Lab, Tufts, and women leaders in STEM who share their experience with girls and lead hands-on science activities. 

"Every volunteer, educator, and STEM professional who gives their time reminds us that when we work together, we can open doors for the next generation of innovators."