NSF EPSCoR: Expanding Your Horizons - a STEM Conference for Middle School Girls

Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) Conference at the University of Kentucky (UK). The conference will feature a day of interactive STEM workshops for female middle school students led by UK undergraduate and graduate students, and will also include college preparation sessions for accompanying parents. We plan to hold the conference on a Saturday in April 2018 on UK’s campus. The primary goal of this conference is to to encourage middle school girls to consider STEM studies by providing them with memorable interactive workshop experiences, visible (female) role models in STEM fields, and exposure to different career paths in STEM. UK undergraduate and graduate students designing and leading these workshops will develop their outreach skills and build confidence in their own scientific and leadership abilities. Finally, parents who attend this conference with their daughters will gain insight into the college preparation process and learn skills to become better advocates for their children as they continue their studies in STEM fields.