SOUTH KINGSTOWN – Approximately 500 sophomores and juniors from area high schools are expected to attend the 14th annual GRRL Tech technology expo on March 19 at the University of Rhode Island.
GGRL Tech – which stands for girls reaching remarkable levels – will kick off at 9 a.m. with keynote speaker Katy Croff Bell of URI”s Ocean Exploration Trust.
Student and teacher workshops will follow, focusing on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields such as bioscience, animal science, oceanography, engineering, chemistry, personal finance and computer science.
Forty-seven educators will attend, with 26 local high schools and tech and career centers represented.
The expo is designed to show female high school students technology opportunities.
“Through industry mentoring and hands-on workshops, GRRL Tech aims to encourage STEM learning, break down gender myths and offer career insight into STEM industries,” according to Tech Collective, which presents the event.
Up to five GRRL Tech attendees will be awarded four-year, $4,000 tuition scholarships to URI. Recipients are determined by their essay submissions as chosen by the GRRL Tech Scholarship Committee and will be announced at the end of the expo.
Sponsors and partners include the University of Rhode Island, Governor’s Workforce Board-RI, Atrion, IBM, EpiVax, Dassault Systèmes Simulia Corp., Amica, Southern New England Girls Collaborative, Junior Achievement of Rhode Island and National Center for Women & Information Technology.
Schools attending are: Beacon Charter School, Burrillville High School, Central Falls High School, Chariho High School, Cranston High School East, Cranston High School West, Cumberland High School, Exeter/West Greenwich High School, Juanita Sanchez Complex, LaSalle Academy, Lincoln High School, Mt. Hope High School, Newport Area Career and Tech Center, North Kingstown High School, North Providence High School, North Smithfield High School, Rogers High School, Scituate High School, Seekonk High School, Smithfield High School, South Kingstown High School, St. Mary’s Academy – Bay View, The Green School, Tiverton High School, Wm. Davies Career & Tech High School and Woonsocket High School.
