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Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) is a nationally recognized STEM education program which will be returning to Chicago for the sixth year in a row on March 24, 2018. EYH Chicago’s event is open to middle school girls. Girls attending EYH Chicago will participate in a day-long symposium of workshops that provide them with hands-on experiences in STEM and inspire them to become innovative and creative thinkers. 

This year, girls can choose from 24 different workshops. They can try their hand at activities like isolating DNA from a banana, constructing a simple speaker system, designing a sustainable home, or navigating robots through a maze. Each workshop will be led by a female STEM professional from the Chicagoland area, and the girls will also be paired with female mentors who accompany them between workshops. “Our goal is to offer young women from diverse backgrounds opportunities to access positive, hands-on experiences with women currently working in STEM,” said Laura Manning, co-director of EYH Chicago. “Having those role models are crucial, and we aim to provide that in a fun, welcoming environment.” 

Two keynote speakers will kick off the 2018 conference. Dr. Enid Montague, a professor at DePaul and Northwestern Universities who studies healthcare systems and the importance of patient-centered care, and Corlis D. Murray, a veteran of Abbott Laboratories and advocate for underrepresented students, both will speak to the girls about careers in STEM. 

EYH Chicago also hosts a program for parents that runs concurrently with the symposium. Parents can drop off their daughters and stay for a series of panels that cover high school and college prep, extracurricular activities, and career opportunities in STEM. Additionally, parents will take part in two workshops of their own, allowing see what their daughters have been up to all day!

Registration for EYH Chicago will open on Feb 12, 2018 to all students from Chicago Public Schools and eligible charter schools. Check the registration page for more information.