Local STEM girls honored in Garfield

A group of local girls and young women in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and math) were honored at the September meeting of the American Association of University Women Palouse-Garfield Branch, at the home of Yvonne Berliner in Garfield Sept. 11.

Laynie Southern, who attended with her mother Tami Southern, was one of the six girls sent by the Palouse-Garfield AAUW to this July's Tech Trek camp at Eastern Washington University.

Tech Trek camps are sponsored by AAUW and are designed to give girls between the seventh and eighth grades a hands-on experience in STEM fields.

Besides Laynie, this year’s local Tech Trekkers were Megan Olson from Garfield, Jessie Reed and Jayden Chappell from Oakesdale, Emily Dingman from Farmington and Lillian McGregor from LaCrosse.

The tuition per girl was $1,000, of which the girl’s parents paid $50. The Palouse-Garfield AAUW paid the remaining $950 for each girl, raising the money by selling boxes of Palouse commodities and soliciting contributions from businesses and individuals.

Other honored guests at the September meeting were Gar/Pal High School junior Jackie Young, who told how she and other classmates combine technology with creative art by making videos, and WSU engineering students Rachel Johnson and Allisa Horst, president and treasurer of WSU’s Society of Women Engineers, who described the challenges and rewards for women pursuing STEM careers.