New Hampshire Girls Technology Day events kick off in March

Statewide initiative gives girls a look at STEM careers

March 14, 2019

Samantha Weckwerth,

Since 2012, girls in the 9^th through 12^th grades have participated in New Hampshire Girls Technology Day events, which are held throughout the state in March, all with the idea of building female confidence in the STEM field.

The events aim to not only provide hands-on experience, but an opportunity to get an idea of the career pathways that are available in the field.

“We really want the girls to see all sides of the industry, that being legal, distribution, logistics, all the way to coding, welding, 3D printing, and health sciences,” said Courtney Ritchings, who works with the state Department of Education’s Bureau of Career Development.

Five events are held over four days. Partnerships are with the University of New Hampshire, NHTI, Manchester Community College, White Mountains Community College and Hypertherm in Lebanon.

“The Hypertherm event is something great for the accessibility for those students to reach. Going from just two sites in 2015 and now to five in 2019, we are really trying to increase accessibility to all young women across the state, and this was a huge reason for the addition of the Berlin students,” said Ritchings.

Other firms taking part in the events are Red River, Dell, Oracle and Liberty Mutual, among others.

“Liberty Mutual has always been a great supporter for these events, and New Hampshire Tech Alliance has been a great asset with planning and bringing together people in the tech industry together to teach, motivate, and educate these young women,” added Ritchings.

This year, a record 1,024 girls have signed up to participate in Girls Technology Day events.

“Each event has different focuses within the technology realm,” said Ritchings.

The first event was held March 12 at the University of New Hampshire in Durham. Other evens are scheduled for: