By Delayna Earley
The Island News
The American Association of University Women (AAUW), Beaufort Branch held their eighth annual STEAM Day on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024, at USC Beaufort.
The event catered to roughly 80 middle school girls from schools in northern Beaufort County who came to learn about and attend interactive workshops featured around each of the areas that STEAM covers – science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.
“Our goal is to introduce those in this age group to careers within the five branches of STEAM,” Chapter President Janice Herbert said about the event. “Our objective is to provide opportunities that will propel them into career paths opened only recently to women.”
The daylong event, had students making terrariums, learning how to take and edit photographs on their phones and learning about coding.
“All of the girls enjoyed participating in the activities, but it was really interesting when something didn’t work how it was supposed to and the girls began to investigate to figure out why it wasn’t working and how to fix it,” Herbert said.
This year the event was only open to middle school-aged girls who attend public, charter and private schools in northern Beaufort County, but Herbert said they have considered expanding the event to include students from all over Beaufort County in the future.
“This age group is important because it is when the students begin to choose courses that will lead them on the path to their future careers,” Herbert said. “We want them to look beyond what they know to that which will provide them opportunities that they don’t know.”
For more information about the AAUW Beaufort Chapter, email jherbertaauw@gmail.com.
Delayna Earley formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.
