500 Girls and their Teachers attend Accenture Event to demistify STEM

Today over 500 girls and their teachers descended on the Convention Centre Dublin for a one day STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) extravaganza organised by Accenture. Transition Year students from all over Ireland came together to explore the exciting world of maths, science, coding, app development and digital innovations through a series of speakers and workshops throughout the day. Organised by Accenture, the event is part of a series of events taking place across Ireland and the UK aimed at getting girls excited about a career in STEM.

Girls tried their hand at STEM experiments throughout the day and learned about what they can expect from a career in an effort to ‘demystify STEM.’ Cutting edge technology and demos were showcased, including Oculus Rift, Google Cardboard and 4D body scanning technology. The Girls also had the opportunity to explore applied maths with the Maths Bungee and take part in science experiments.

Paula Neary, Managing Director at Accenture said, “Evidence shows that many girls are put off by STEM subjects due to perceptions of these subjects being “too hard” or “for boys”. The career options linked to them are still seen as “boy jobs” as demonstrated by a study undertaken by Accenture in 2015. This event, bringing together business and academia, aims to dispel that myth for girls and their teachers.”

Although 80% of girls and young women believe that studying STEM subjects leads to good career opportunities, 48% think that these subjects are more suited to male careers, with 29% believing that they “fit boys’ brains better”.

As is well documented, female participation in STEM is vital for Ireland’s expanding tech sector. The Accenture study recommended that industry play a leading role, and this event brings together standout players from the tech industry such as Google, Facebook and CoderDojo together with Trinity College Dublin, DCU and the Science Gallery.