Before the Covid pandemic, in conjunction with members of SI Weybridge and SI Woking, we regularly organised a STEM Challenge specifically aimed at girls aged 12-14, to encourage them to consider a career in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The teams were challenged to find potential solutions to a problem, select the best, work through the detail and present their results in writing and orally to an imposing panel of judges. The competition ran over six months with a grand final held at a local university to find the winning team.
The 2019 Final and Prizegiving was hosted by Royal Holloway, University of London. Helen Bowcock PhD OBE, Chair of Air Ambulance Kent, Surrey and Sussex , gave the keynote speech and presented the awards. 15 teams in years 8 and 9 from Hoe Valley School, Tomlinscote School, Guildford County School, Ashcombe School and Thamesmead School entered projects ranging from sustainable water filters to high energy food bars. The entries were judged by women leaders in engineering, science and technology, who emphasised how difficult it had been to choose the winners.
Every girl who takes part receives a Soroptimist International certificate of achievement. The winning schools each receive £250 and each girl in the winning teams £30.
Sadly we have had to suspend this project during the Covid pandemic but we hope to reinstate this exciting competition as soon as circumstances allow.
Our support for this project links into Sustainable Development Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls; and Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industralisation and foster innovation. It also corresponds to the overall Sustainable Development Goal of eradicating poverty.