The Girls Excelling in Math and Science (GEMS) Club Initiative, Nova Labs, and the Mid-Atlantic Girls Collaborative (MAGiC) have announced a new project: The Girl Makers of Northern Virginia. The project, funded by a $3,500 grant from the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia’s Innovation Fund ($1,000) and the Moore Family Foundation ($2,500), builds upon two “Take Apart” sessions held at Nova Labs last winter.
Nova Labs President Brian Jacoby states that the new funding will help the program expand to further inspire girls’ interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) classes and careers. Elizabeth Vandenburg, co-Lead and outreach director of GEMS and MAGiC, says that Nova Labs is spearheading the effort to interest more girls in these areas.
Founded at Clearview Elementary School in 1994, the GEMS Club initiative provides after-school science exposure. Girls in the third through eighth grade participate in STEM Nova Labs through a nonprofit “makerspace” in Reston that provides a creative and technical community workshop. The club now has 35 clubs across Fairfax County Public Schools and has expanded to the 2011 Clinton Global Initiative in Chicago. The lab is part of the international Maker Movement.
For more information, contact Elizabeth Vandenburg at 703-774-7796.