Milwaukee Girls Get Hands on Experience with STEM at Discovery World Event

Discovery World hosted its annual Girls & STEM event on Sunday, March 1, motivating young girls to discover careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

“Milwaukee’s future depends on the talent and creativity of our young people, “said Shannon Atwood, Discovery World’s Vice President of Exhibits and Experiences, in a press release. “Girls & STEM gives kids and families the chance to try something new, ask questions, and connect with local women who have built careers in STEM fields.”

Over 20 organizations partnered to provide interactive, hands-on activities for kids, each offering a wide range of opportunities available in the world of STEM.

The event featured special projects from Kohl’s Design It!, UWM Arab American Association of Engineers & Architects, Milwaukee School of Engineering, Northwestern Mutual, Bridge building workshop with Discovery World’s education team in the Curiosity Works Lab, and First Stage.

“STEM is so important at First Stage,” said Brinn Hill, theater education director. “We focus a lot on STEAM and teaching STEM through the lens of drama. Some of our workshops are Invention Convention, where students are working on an invention, pretending to be inventors. It’s important for girls in particular to get involved in such a male-dominated field.”

The Grohmann Museum, affiliated with Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE), presented a display showing how looms and the textile industry played a key role in the development of early computers.

“Weaving uses a binary for over/ under. When looms started to be mechanized in the 1800s, they used punch cards to program the machines. Mathematician Ada Lovelace recognized that weaving looms operated similarly to computing machines,” explained Marina Bernovich, curator of education at the Grohmann Museum.

Despite progress, women remain underrepresented in STEM careers, but closing this gap presents an opportunity to unlock talent, drive innovation, and build a more equitable future.

According to the National Girls Collaborative Project, today, women represent only 35% of STEM graduates, and Black, Latina, and Native American women represent less than 10% of the STEM workforce.

Tanzania Sewell, managing director of Club SciKidz Greater Milwaukee, said, “My personal story is that I’m an electrical engineer. I spent many years in the corporate field. STEM has opened up doors that I never thought would be open to me. Pursuing Engineering really came down to wanting to make an impact on the world around me.”