Bridgewater, Raritan Girls Participate In STEM Program

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — Bridgewater and Raritan students were among 90 girls from schools throughout Somerset County to participate in a STEM program.

The program was held on Oct. 21 at the county Vocational & Technical High School. This was second annual STEM program sponsored by the county Commission on the Status of Women.

“This was a wonderful opportunity for these girls to learn about potential careers and to practice team building skills that will serve them in the future,” said Somerset County Freeholder Patricia Walsh, commission liaison.

The program encourages seventh- and eighth-grade girls to prepare for future success in science, technology, engineering and math fields.

Girls from Bernards, Bernardsville, Branchburg, Bridgewater, Franklin, Green Brook, Hillsborough, Manville, Montgomery, North Plainfield, Raritan and Watchung participated.

The program was made possible this year through a grant from Investors Bank, which provided lunch, STEM T-shirts and a book on women scientists to all participants, as well as an Echo Dot and fitness trackers as prizes for winners of the trivia contest.

Additional sponsors included ExxonMobil, Sanofi and JM Sorge Environmental Consultants. ExxonMobil hosted a hands-on activity station where the girls made bouncy balls from borax and glue and learned about cross-linked polymers. JM Sorge talked about soil-testing methods while Sanofi discussed drug development.

There also was a panel of successful STEM women who provided insights, answered questions and discussed possible mentoring opportunities. They included Sara Green, a chemical engineer at ExxonMobil; Cassondra Weaver, a project engineer and scientist at JM Sorge; and Karen Mittleman, head of publications in data dissemination in the Sanofi Group’s Chief Medical Office.

For more information, email sccswomen@gmail.com or visit the commission’s webpage HERE.

(Image via Shutterstock)

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