Educators at DeVry University are using different exercises to show girls they're not only capable of building a robot but they have what it takes to succeed in STEM jobs.
"It's important because there is a shortage. It's a very much male-dominated field, and a lot of women, especially young girls, feel like they don't have the expertise or maybe they're not smart enough," said technology portfolio consultant Leticia Peters.
Over the next decade, STEM fields are projected to create more than 2.5 million new jobs. But right now, women make up less than 25 percent of the STEM workforce. So on Friday, the Career-Technical College held what's called "Her World" -- a national initiative to empower high school girls to explore careers in STEM.
"One of the innovations that we talked about today is known as the Soccket. The Soccket was developed by a group of young women at Harvard in an engineering program. They were charged with identifying a need and coming up with a solution," said DeVry Associate Dean Katie Fleener.
What they identified was many Third World countries struggle with electricity, so they developed a green soccer ball called the Soccket -- harnessing energy through motion and play that could later be used to power things like small generators and LED lights.
"I really like the whole inventing stuff and getting your own product out there," said Dewolf High School student Claudia Sagrero.
Raising awareness through interactive workshops and the stories of other women to inspire young girls to enter high-paying careers in STEM.
