Is STEM Just for Boys?

Many well-meaning parents and educators are under the impression that STEM is just for boys. But nothing could be farther from the truth! God has given girls, as well as boys, curiosity and the desire to explore and learn more about His creation.

Dr. Georgia Purdom, a molecular geneticist who works at Answers in Genesis, recently sent me an excellent article about girls in STEM. The author writes, “Many well-meaning teachers still have a misconception that boys are better at math or are more likely to have higher IQ’s. These ideas have been proven false by research and can be very harmful to students who might otherwise excel in math and science.”

The author goes on to say that girls are often discouraged from showing interest in STEM and eventually they just lose interest. Also, research shows that biases and negative stereotypes affect girls’ interest. For example, often they aren’t told of science opportunities or given science-themed gifts for Christmas and birthdays. Allowing girls to experience STEM in multiple different contexts is the surest way of ensuring their interest grows and develops over their lifetime.  

In my experience, which comes from teaching college computer science for 30 years, girls aren’t drawn to STEM, but for all the wrong reasons. It’s usually because they are embarrassed and they don’t want to be seen by guys as “smart” or “geeks.” But nearly every girl majoring in computer science did very, very well!

We are seeing the same trend at Ci; the girls who come and experience STEM love it and excel in it. If you have a daughter or granddaughter who is showing interest in STEM, encourage her to pursue her God-given interest by enrolling her at Ci.

She will meet and make friends with other girls her age who share the same interests and she’ll be encouraged to learn more about God’s creation. She will have a female counselor who also loves STEM and is pursuing a STEM career who will act as a mentor. She will participate in experiments, meet real creation scientists, and learn to connect a biblical worldview with STEM. Ci camps will increase your young lady’s love for science and for her Creator, Jesus Christ. She’ll love pursing her passion and you’ll love watching her enthusiastically blossom! Learn more about applying for one of this summer’s camps.   

Camp Infinity

Where Science & Technology Meet Truth