GETT Hosted Young Women From More Than 100 Schools in 8 Counties
More than 1,000 girls, parents and educators from more than a hundred schools in 8 counties discovered exciting career opportunities in STEM fields during the 24th annual Girls Exploring Tomorrow’s Technology (GETT), Eastern Pennsylvania’s premiere STEM event expo presented by the Chester County Economic Development Council (CCEDC) and its Innovative Technology Action Group (ITAG) initiative. gettpa.org
Held Saturday at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA, GETT is a free event for girls in grades 4 through 10 to participate in interactive activities and dynamic experience stations led by women leaders from the region’s most high-profile STEM-based companies including QVC, Vanguard, Comcast, West Pharmaceuticals and Bentley Systems.
- Girls explored more than 100 exhibits featuring hands-on STEM activities including architectural design, robotics, coding, healthcare, engineering, video gaming, environmental science, virtual reality, aerospace, information technology, veterinary sciences, forensic sciences, automotive engineering and much more.
- In addition to Expo activities, girls toured demonstration vehicles to learn about agriculture, marine sciences, emergency medicine, crime scene investigation and much more. Examples include the Ag Immersion Vehicle, Commonwealth Charter Academy Mobile Aquaponics Lab, PA Attorney General Mobile Forensics Bus, PA Game Commission Warden Response Vehicle, American Helicopter Museum’s Stubby the Helicopter, PA Dept of Agriculture Woodmobile and PECO Electrical Service Response Vehicles.
“Thanks to this year’s larger location, we were able to welcome even more girls to be inspired by and learn from additional STEM company exhibitors and expanded hands-on activities,” said Leigh Craig, CCEDC Project Manager, STEM Innovation. “The future of our workforce in this region depends on us igniting and nurturing the passion for STEM in these students.”
“Girls and boys at these ages have similar abilities in STEM subjects, but this is the time when girls start to experience a decline in their confidence, interest or feeling of acceptance in these fields,” said Marianne Stack, CCEDC Project Director, ITAG. “GETT connects girls with local women leaders who show them first-hand how interesting and fulfilling STEM careers can be.”
According to the National Girls Collaborative Project, women make up 48% of the total U.S. workforce but only 35% of the STEM workforce. Women STEM professionals are concentrated in different occupations than men, with relatively low shares in engineering (16%) and computer and mathematical sciences (26%).
GETT is made possible by the generous support of many sponsors including Premier Sponsors Bentley Systems, Chester County Workforce Development Board, Chester County Intermediate Unit, Comcast, QVC, Vanguard and West Pharmaceutical Services Inc., as well as innovator sponsor Ansys. For a complete list of sponsors, visit gettpa.org.
For more information about how your company can become a GETT sponsor or participate in CCEDC’s GETT Expo in 2025, contact CCEDC Event Director Tracey Oberholtzer at toberholtzer@ccedcpa.com.