The Houston Museum of Natural Science, along with the Girls Scouts of San Jacinto Council, cordially invite you to attend the Girls Exploring Math and Science event, Feb. 20 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. GEMS is a free event for members and is included with the purchase of a ticket to the museum’s permanent exhibit halls for non-members. It is open to girls and boys of all ages.

Currently, women earn more college and graduate degrees than men, but a gender gap still persists in the fields of science and in higher-level math intensive fields such as engineering. The U.S. Census Bureau statistics place the percentage of women working in fields related to STEM at 7 percent in 1970 and at 23 percent in 1990. There has been little growth since, with an estimate of 26 percent, according to 2011 statistics.

There is plenty of evidence that demonstrates that many girls in elementary school show interest in STEM subjects and may even hold desires for future STEM-related careers. However, there is equal evidence that by fifth grade, interest appears to wane and continues to do so through high school in the general female population. While girls are not alone in this trend as it can be seen in other student demographics, it is troubling.

Keeping girls interested in science and math long-term is a broad-spectrum problem with no easy solution. However, there are a number of curative steps that can be implemented to recoup interest in STEM subjects. Increasing the visibility of female role models in math and science is one important step. This helps girls envision themselves in such fields. HMNS and the GEMS program capitalizes on this idea by incorporating young and enthusiastic female role models with whom girls can interact.

In addition, during GEMS, the museum is packed with hands-on science and math opportunities, community booths, and other science professionals. Children and adults can take their time to fully explore the opportunities and careers available in the fields of science and math.

Girls need opportunities and encouragement in a wide range of STEM-related activities not only at school, but also through extracurricular activities such as GEMS. Helping girls to see these fields as exciting, relevant, and viable will take hard work on the part of teachers, parents, community members, and volunteers. I encourage you to take a small step in providing this encouragement to a girl in your life by bringing her to experience GEMS.