NEWS

Young women experiment with science careers

Megan Raposa

mraposa@argusleader.com

Hattie Breck, 13, right, and Gracie Bowers, also 13, second from right, both eighth-graders at Lennox Middle School, mix frosting and candy to simulate compounding different medications at the South Dakota State University College of Pharmacy booth during the Women in Science event Tuesday, March 8, 2016, at Southeast Tech in Sioux Falls.

Young women gathered Tuesday in Sioux Falls to talk science and experiment with future career options.

About 700 eighth-grade girls spent the day learning about science and technology careers as part of a Women in Science event at Southeast Technical Institute.

Dozens of businesses, schools and organizations set up interactive demonstrations.

Students were able to fly a plane using a simulator from South Dakota State University's aviation program.

At a booth by Raven Industries, they learned how circuit boards come together as a bunch of small parts that make a whole.

West Central student Kaitlyn Schaunaman said she was surprised to learn some areas in South Dakota are in need of doctors.

Katie Steineke, 14, an eighth-grader at Dell Rapids Middle School, uses a stethoscope on a high fidelity manikin at the Mitchell Technical Institute's Health Sciences Program booth during the Women in Science event Tuesday, March 8, 2016, at Southeast Tech in Sioux Falls.

"I've been wanting to be a nurse before," Schaunaman said. "But this is really making me want to do it even more."

Callie Waite came with the goal of learning more about the medical industry. She said she hopes women interested in science continue to explore STEM careers.

"A lot of girls don't realize that this (science) does relate to what they want to do," Waite said. "And so they don't think they'll need it in life, but they really will."

Women working in STEM fields put on workshops for students to attend throughout the full-day event.

Gov. Dennis Daugaard also showed his support by declaring March 8, 2016 "Women in Science Day" for South Dakota.

The event is for the students, Jackson said, but with an increased demand for workers in many South Dakota industries, it also helps businesses with workforce development.

"There's a lot of research that shows that students tend to pick careers that they're familiar with," Women in Science board member Kristy Jackson said. "So if they don't have a chance to get out and explore, there's a lot of things that they'll just overlook."

Ellen Arens, senior design engineer with Raven Industries, said the company primarily deals in the male-dominated fields of agriculture and engineering.

She wants to see more women pursue these fields.

"Women bring so much more diversity to the system ... any diversity helps look at problems from different angles and come up with more creative solutions," Arens said.

Women have shied away from STEM jobs for a long time, Arens said, but science and technology are becoming increasingly important in every field.

"It's going to be technology-driven these days," she said. "There's just no way to go back from that, and if we want to be a force in the future, we have to get involved."

Follow Megan Raposa on Twitter at @mlraposa for more education news.