Innovation is the name of the game in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), and Eureka! Program Manager Amy Strickland has it in spades. After joining Girls Inc. of Central Alabama earlier this year, Amy has been lifting the Eureka! Teen Achievement program to new heights.

Eureka! Teen Achievement is our five-year comprehensive program designed to inspire girls ages 13 to 18 to pursue their academic and career interests, especially in STEM-related fields. Beginning as Rookies in eighth grade and graduating as Interns their senior year, this program offers long-term, sustained involvement that shapes girls’ futures for success.

In an effort to expand Eureka’s impact, Amy created the Eureka! Advisory Council. From dentists to chemistry professors, the Advisory Council is packed with accomplished women. The group is comprised of eight local women passionate about expanding opportunities for girls in STEM.

“In my five years of having 2-4 summer interns, we’ve only have one female student,” says IT Systems Administrator and council member Megan Shory. She continues, “The same underrepresentation is in our high school robotics team, engineering academy, and computer science class. It needs to change.”

The Eureka Advisory Council meets quarterly to hear program outcomes and needs, as well as offer feedback on activities and curriculum. Council members will also participate in the program by speaking to Eurekans about their careers, connecting girls with internships, and drawing on their local networks to create opportunities. Rebecca Boohaker, Eureka! Advisory Board Chair and an Associate Fellow of Oncology Drug Discovery at Southern Research, says she’s looking forward to “help[ing] provide a quality experience for girls and young women who are curious but apprehensive about STEM fields.”

“It is so refreshing and amazing to know that there is a group of professionals who have taken the time to pour into a program that directly focuses on the betterment of girls and expanding their interest in the STEM fields,” says Amy.  “I am blown away by their patience and consistent wisdom.  I look forward to seeing the impact that we make together in the Eureka! Program at Girls Inc. of Central AL.”

 

 

Eureka! Advisory Board 2021

Eureka! Advisory Board Chair: Rebecca Boohaker — Associate Fellow, Oncology Drug Discovery at Southern Research

Michelle Abouhaidar — Dentist at Montevallo Family Dentistry

Kate Hayden — Associate Professor of Chemistry at Birmingham-Southern College

Emily Hornady — Account Manager at Thomson Reuters

Natalie Mills — Regulatory Policy Analyst at Alabama Power Company

Megan Shory — IT Systems Administrator, Alabaster City Schools

Amanda Smith — Assistant Director of Research Safety Committees at University of Alabama at Birmingham