Oakland Girls Tackling the Future of STEM

Matson recently made a $2,500 donation to the platinum-rated organization Oakland-based Scientific Adventures for Girls (SAfG) as an Inspiring Innovator Funder.

With its forerunner program – Afterschool STEM Education (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) Scientific Adventures for Girls delivers a hands-on, 27-week afterschool program for TK-6th grade girls (and girl-identifying youth) who participate once a week in STEM education classes. Girls learn to use tools, solve problems, collaborate, and develop perseverance and determination around STEM. Built on equity and inclusion, instruction blends STEM and social-emotional learning practices.

Many Bay Area children are not introduced to STEM programs until middle or high school, and research has shown that girls as young as kindergarten have already begun to form negative views about science and other STEM-related courses, which can taint their entire K-12 educational experience.

Historically, women have been underrepresented in the mathematical sciences and other STEM fields. Recent statistics from the National Science Foundation (2021) indicate that women held approximately 14% of engineering jobs in the U.S., 26% of computer and mathematical occupations (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 2020), and 30% of the mathematical sciences workforce (American Mathematical Society). SAfG aims to change those statistics.

Currently serving 22 school sites in the Bay Area, nearly 2,000 girls have participated in its afterschool program, 80% of whom say they are interested in further STEM courses because of their participation at SAfG.

SAfG also conducts Family STEAM Nights, where children and their families work together on projects like a model rocket launch and virtual educational programs with Bay Area partners like Pixar Animation Studios, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, and Stanford University. According to SAfG, research has shown that family attitudes and interest levels in STEM influence how girls think and feel about STEM. Interest in STEM topics positively influences how girls see themselves in the STEM field.

“This next school year, SAfG’s 27-week, year-round program will focus on three STEM themes: Math, Computer Science, and Environmental Science,” said Executive Director and SAfG Cofounder Courtenay Carr Heuer. “Through our classes, girls will discover new interests, meet three STEM Role Models in person (one per each curriculum theme), and learn to believe that STEM is not just for boys but also for them. SAfG nurtures their interests and helps boost their self-confidence, preparing them for better futures.”

SAfG also offers STEM Summer Camps, Library programs, and a STEM Scholar Club, for middle and high school students.

“We firmly believe the challenge to close the gender and minority achievement gap is an all-hands-on-deck effort which must include input from every stakeholder (families, teachers, schools, policymakers, etc.) invested in this call to action,” said Heuer.

“We are grateful for Matson’s support of our afterschool programming for TK-6th grade girls – together, we’re changing the face of science! More than 85% of our students are girls of color who come from underserved communities in the East Bay. Matson is helping give them access to hands-on STEM education they wouldn’t otherwise receive.”