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DiscoverE, an organization dedicated to improving access to K-12 STEM education in the United States, is organizing its annual on February 20, 2020. Girl Day is a collection of events occurring across the country, inviting school-aged girls to participate in learning activities that encourage them to explore STEM education and engineering as a career.

Girl Day began in 2001, when it came to the organization’s attention that only 17% of engineering undergrads were women. DiscoverE chose to address that gap by helping organization engage female students with activities designed to teach engineering skills, a project they called “Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day,” or Girl Day for short.

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The activities for Girl Day are designed to be open-ended, hands-on activities that allow participating students to create solutions to engineering challenges. DiscoverE provides participating organizations with lesson plans that include prompts and lists of necessary materials for the activity, and the students use those materials to construct solutions to the challenges provided to them. Participants can then coordinate with local schools, libraries or universities to develop an event.

According to Thea Sahr, DiscoverE Director of Communications and Programs, Girl Day programs are run by local organizations, for the benefit of local students. This way, they can be tailored to fit local needs. “Girl Day events come in all shapes and sizes,” she says. “There are events with only a handful of participants, and there are events with hundreds. It all depends on what your local community needs.”

To participate in Girl Day, a facility can register to be a role model, and DiscoverE will provide informational materials to help an organization get started.