The mission of MakerGirl is to introduce girls from the ages of 7 - 10 to STEM fields.  They conducted a pilot session at the MakerLab last fall and have launched there non-profit this spring. They have scheduled several sessions at the Lab this spring semester and got over 60 signups.  At the sessions, girls will make a simple object using a 3-D printer and will do a fun activity and learn a lesson relevant to a woman leader in STEM.  while making friends and meeting women student leaders at UIUC.

We are excited to announce that they will be having more sessions this semester due to high demand.  These will be on April 20 and May 4 from 6 to 7:30 PM, in addition to the others already scheduled.  The April 20th session will be a repeat the March 16 session "Clipped to the Future" and the May 4 session will repeat the March 30 session "Make A Name for Yourself" so please do not sign your daughter up if she has already attended the respective sessions. Parents are invited to attend the last half hour of the session to learn about the importance of women in STEM and how they can inspire their daughters to pursue STEM fields at home.  Cost is $15, and scholarships are available if you qualify for subsidized lunches. Find out more at http://makergirl.us/ and contact them at makergirl.uiuc@gmail.com

At the last few sessions, girls have left the sessions wanting to become 'MakerGirls' and engineers and parents have truly enjoyed watching their daughters learn about STEM.  A fellow C-U parent has said,

"I think I've been so attracted to MakerGirl, for exactly the reason Covey indicates below. I've been looking for a way to change [my daughter's] paradigm from a consumer of technology ( watching Frozen on the iPad, playing apps, streaming video through Chromecast, etc ) to a builder of technology. MakerGirl has allowed that transformation to happen seamlessly."

https://youtu.be/faVDgxTmTKw