STEM Day brings science inspiration to Academy of Notre Dame

VILLANOVA >> More than 500 middle and high school students at the Academy of Notre Dame de Namur explored science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers at the Academy’s STEM Day, held on December 2.

The event brought more than 40 alumnae, industry leaders, and representatives from Villanova and Drexel Universities to the Villanova campus to share their passion for science with hands-on science workshops and informative career advice.

“The benefits of STEM education are many, and include innovation, critical and creative thinking, and data analysis skills to solve real-world problems,” said Kim Eife, Notre Dame’s Academic Dean and organizer of the event. “These skills are essential for success in the sciences, but can be applied in all academic and career pursuits.”

Women continue to be underrepresented in STEM fields, especially in computer science, engineering, and physics, where they make up less than 20 percent of undergraduates earning degrees. “The goal of STEM Day is to give young women the chance to meet STEM role models and learn more about careers in those fields,” said Eife.

The day-long program began with a presentation by Notre Dame junior Jackie Lanzalotto who shared her research on the CRABP2 biomarker for the early detection of ovarian cancer. Sophomores Caroline Voegele and Sophia Skorup followed with a screening of their award-winning documentary on the life of World War II cryptographer Alan Turing.

Keynote Speaker Stephanie Ferrone, a 2005 graduate of Notre Dame, spoke with students about her experiences as a physicist with the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division.

Students participated in interactive sessions that included storm water management, chemical engineering, predictive analytics and statistics, mechanical design, medicine, finance and accounting, and telecommunications. The day concluded with a robotics demonstration by Notre Dame’s high school robotics team, the Sparks.

“It was great to see the excitement of our middle school students as they experimented with optics and superconductors or designed a science lab. The presenters were exceptional role models for our high school students as they learned more about career paths in STEM,” said Eife.

Notre Dame’s Principal, Jacqueline Coccia, left, and President Judith Dwyer, right, discuss a project with, from left, junior Jackie Lanzalotto and sophomores Caroline Voegele and Sophia Skorup during STEM Day.

Members of Notre Dame’s robotics club, the Sparks, demonstrated tasks with the robot constructed and programmed by the team for competition.