Tompkins Cortland Community College
The following is a republished press release from the American Association of University Women.
Tech Savvy is a daylong event on Saturday, April 1, for girls to learn more about how science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields of study can lead to exciting careers. The Cortland and Ithaca American Association of University Women (AAUW) Branches are working together to host 200 area girls in Grades 6-9 and accompanying adults at Tompkins Cortland Community College in Dryden as part of the AAUW National Tech Savvy Program.
Sheila Cohen, Cortland AAUW member and event chair, expressed, “The branches are delighted to have received funding from our national organization and local foundations to host Tech Savvy again in this region. We are one of a few AAUW branches around the country that will be hosting Tech Savvy. We plan to open online registration by March 1; individuals are charged $10.00 at registration.”
Sarah Johnson of Ithaca AAUW announced: “This year, we will provide additional transportation support and registration fee waivers for students and adults because of funding from the Social Service League of Ithaca, Women Building Community Grant (City Federation of Women’s Organizations), Community Foundation of Tompkins County, Cornell University and SUNY Cortland. In addition to workshops for students and adults, we will highlight ‘savvy skills’, a STEM fair and inspiring keynote speaker."
Although women fill close to half of all jobs in the U.S. economy, they are far outnumberedby men in STEM fields. The Cortland-Ithaca Tech Savvy event is one of 17 nationwide Tech Savvy sites working to improve those numbers. Tech Savvy and similar programs are one way to increase the number of women in the STEM pipeline. Other resources, including suggestions for employers, appear in AAUW’s new research report, Solving the Equation: The Variables for Women’s Success in Engineering and Computing.
“STEM’s gender problem is well known,” said Kate Farrar, vice president of AAUW Campus Leadership Programs. “We’re working with parents, teachers, and employers on solutions like Tech Savvy because attracting and retaining women in STEM fields isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s the smart thing to do.”
Created in 2006 by Tamara Brown, then-president of the AAUW Buffalo Branch, Tech Savvy has since served more than 3,500 girls. As a result of her work, Brown was honored as a White House Champion of Change.
For transportation and registration assistance, Tompkins area contact is Sarah Johnson at [email protected] and Cortland area contact is Sheila Cohen [email protected]. Registration opens March 1, but updated program information can be accessed at: http://cortland-ny.aauw.net or http://ithaca-ny.aauw.
The American Association of University Women (AAUW) empowers women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy, and research. Our nonpartisan, nonprofit organization has more than 170,000 members and supporters across the United States, as well as 1,000 local branches and more than 800 college and university partners. Since AAUW’s founding in 1881, our members have examined and taken positions on the fundamental issues of the day — educational, social, economic, and political. Learn more and join us at www.aauw.org.
