As MCAA India Chapter’s contribution to celebrating the International Day of Women and Girls in Science (11th February), this impactful event was organized to help inspire the next generation of girl-geeks towards taking up research in STEM.
The target audience included undergraduate students in engineering and applied sciences (teenagers and young adults), teaching faculty members (adults), and interested parents (general public).
The event included expert talks on what research is all about and how it contributes to progress, firsthand experiences of what it means to be a researcher, the MC Fellowship experience of MCAA female members, and expert talk on applied research to solve everyday problems. Finally, an Ideathon, where student participants presented their STEM ideas to solve pressing issues by using the latest technologies/tools. Ideas were sought from participants before the event via a web form and the best 10-12 ideas were selected by a committee formed by India Chapter for presentation on the day of the event. The top 3 ideas were awarded by the judges on the same day.
Teaching faculty members were involved as well so that they could replicate this activity within their institute/college/university shortly. Interested parents were also invited so that they could encourage their wards towards excellence in STEM research and gain some relevant information about what it really takes and the opportunities/resources available.