Summer camp empowers girls in science, technology, engineering and math
MicroSkills’ Girls in STEM Summer Camp.
On Wednesday July 29, the Centre for Urban Energy (CUE) was proud to welcome the MicroSkills’ (external link) Girls in STEM Summer Camp. The camp, made up of girls aged between 13 and 18, focuses on the traditionally male-dominated STEM subjects of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. As part of this year’s program, the participants were invited to take part in a workshop and tour at CUE to learn more about our energy system – from generation to consumption.
The afternoon began with a fun classroom activity facilitated by IESO Distinguished Research Fellows Bob Singh and Jessie Ma that encouraged them to follow the engineering design process. The girls were given a brief presentation on the challenges faced by the electricity supply system in Ontario and were split into groups to invent their own solutions.
Inside our main research lab, Dr. Mohamed Awadallah, a Post Doctorate Research Fellow at CUE, introduced the students to different solar technologies and fielded questions about his work.
The girls then headed over to meet with CUE’s student researchers, Sebastian Rivera Iunnissi, Manuel Baun, and Come Geroudet who gave them a hands-on demo of their innovative research on electric vehicle charging stations and energy storage.
Inside our startup lab, iCUE, Josh Tzventarny of Plug’N Drive (external link) gave a lively presentation on the environmental advantages of electric vehicles.
Finally, the tour reached the Schneider Electric Smart Grid Lab, where lab engineer Kathy Zheng Couto introduced the students to the basic components of an electrical grid and let them test out the lab’s various capabilities.
CUE wishes Girls in STEM a bright future, and welcomes the next generation of female engineers, mathematicians, and scientists to the energy sector!
Dana Salama is a fourth-year Architectural Science student at Ryerson University.