A new sisterhood program is inspiring the next generation of engineers and scientists in North Queensland.
James Cook University (JCU) engineering student Keziah Furnell’s STEM Sisterhood program recently saw her recognised as the runner-up in tech giant Samsung’s national Solve for Tomorrow competition.
Ms Furnell, a 22-year-old Electrical Engineering and IT student, is a passionate advocate for women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), with her workshops for girls proving a huge hit across the region.
Ahead of her final year of study next year, Ms Furnell’s program continues to expand and offers hands-on workshops to help girls explore different STEM fields through exciting experiments, problem solving and collaboration.
Recent studies have highlighted a widening gender gap between women and girls working in STEM fields and studying STEM subjects at high school and university, a problem Ms Furnell is determined to continue to tackle head on.
“When I walked into my first electrical engineering class we had about 120 students in there and maybe 10-12 of us were girls, so it starkly showed the size of the problem,” she said.
“When I investigated further, I realised there are only 5 per cent women in electrical engineering and even less of these numbers are from public schools and regional areas, so from there the idea for STEM Sisterhood was born.
“I know the opportunities and mentors I had access to was a big part of why I chose to study science so to be able to help inspire girls to come into these fields is just hugely rewarding. There’s no better feeling than having kids come up to you and seeing that you’ve helped spark an interest in science for them.”
The hard-working student paid tribute to her family and other volunteers for their support in delivering her program, and says she has no plans to slow down.
“When we first started we had maybe four kids in the first workshop and 10 in the second, but we now regularly have full workshops,” she said.
“Most recently we have expanded into other communities, completing full day workshops in Bowen in conjunction with the Zonta club, with another booked in for 2025.
“We will do a similar event in Charters Towers (this year) and I’ve been asked to head to Ingham as well, so it’s exciting to provide workshops to regional kids who otherwise may not get these opportunities.
“We are also adapting our workshop to be more accessible for groups like Hear for You, who we will deliver workshops for in the new year as well. Its growing and evolving all the time and it is fantastic to be able to make a small difference.”
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