Zumara Woodson from the Academy of Aerospace and Engineering in Windsor, Connecticut explores the chemistry of polymer science using diapers and other common materials to observe cross-linking of polymers during Multiply Your Options, a one-day conference for 8th-grade girls, on April 3. (Christopher LaRosa/UConn Photo)

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Zumara Woodson from the Academy of Aerospace and Engineering in Windsor, Connecticut explores the chemistry of polymer science using diapers and other common materials to observe cross-linking of polymers during Multiply Your Options, a one-day conference for 8th-grade girls, on April 3. (Christopher LaRosa/UConn Photo)

Madeline Ross (left) and Taylor DelMastro (right) from Horace W. Porter School in Columbia, Connecticut use common materials to cross-link a polymer and observe the physical changes from cross-linking. (Christopher LaRosa/UConn Photo)

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Madeline Ross (left) and Taylor DelMastro (right) from Horace W. Porter School in Columbia, Connecticut use common materials to cross-link a polymer and observe the physical changes from cross-linking. (Christopher LaRosa/UConn Photo)

Angelina Lee, left, and Sristhi Chowdhury from Timothy Edwards Middle School in South Windsor, Connecticut use diapers to observe cross-linking of polymers. (Christopher LaRosa/UConn Photo)

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Angelina Lee, left, and Sristhi Chowdhury from Timothy Edwards Middle School in South Windsor, Connecticut use diapers to observe cross-linking of polymers. (Christopher LaRosa/UConn Photo)

Emily Irvine from Ashford School in Ashford, Connecticut works on constructing a balloon-powered rocket car to explore aerodynamics and Newton’s Laws of Motion. (Christopher LaRosa/UConn Photo)

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Emily Irvine from Ashford School in Ashford, Connecticut works on constructing a balloon-powered rocket car to explore aerodynamics and Newton’s Laws of Motion. (Christopher LaRosa/UConn Photo)

Dhanya Chasmawala, left, and Julia Alkhayer from Timothy Edwards Middle School in South Windsor, Connecticut, use simple materials to learn about Newton’s Law of Motion. (Christopher LaRosa/UConn Photo)

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Dhanya Chasmawala, left, and Julia Alkhayer from Timothy Edwards Middle School in South Windsor, Connecticut, use simple materials to learn about Newton’s Law of Motion. (Christopher LaRosa/UConn Photo)

Kira Roloff, left, and Alexis Pettine from East Hampton Middle School in East Hampton, Connecticut, build and test a balloon-powered rocket car to learn more about aerodynamics and engineering. (Christopher LaRosa/UConn Photo)

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Kira Roloff, left, and Alexis Pettine from East Hampton Middle School in East Hampton, Connecticut, build and test a balloon-powered rocket car to learn more about aerodynamics and engineering. (Christopher LaRosa/UConn Photo)

Audrey Manning from Timothy Edwards Middle School in South Windsor, Connecticut uses recycled materials to create a motor-propelled boat to explore engineering concepts. (Christopher LaRosa/UConn Photo)

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Audrey Manning from Timothy Edwards Middle School in South Windsor, Connecticut uses recycled materials to create a motor-propelled boat to explore engineering concepts. (Christopher LaRosa/UConn Photo)

Alexia Lilly from Timothy Edwards Middle School in South Windsor, Connecticut, learns about buoyancy, kinematics, and electricity by building a motor-propelled boat out of recycled materials. (Christopher LaRosa/UConn Photo)

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Alexia Lilly from Timothy Edwards Middle School in South Windsor, Connecticut, learns about buoyancy, kinematics, and electricity by building a motor-propelled boat out of recycled materials. (Christopher LaRosa/UConn Photo)

Angeline Nunez, left, and Tiffany Nguyen from Two Rivers Magnet Middle School in East Hartford, Connecticut, create and test a motor-propelled boat to learn more about engineering concepts such as electricity. (Christopher LaRosa/UConn Photo)

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Angeline Nunez, left, and Tiffany Nguyen from Two Rivers Magnet Middle School in East Hartford, Connecticut, create and test a motor-propelled boat to learn more about engineering concepts such as electricity. (Christopher LaRosa/UConn Photo)

Valli Pendyala from Timothy Edwards Middle School in South Windsor, Connecticut, builds a robotic hand out of common household materials to learn more about biomedical engineering. The exercise is intended to mimic the processes that biomedical engineers use to build prosthetic devices. (Christopher LaRosa/UConn Photo)

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Valli Pendyala from Timothy Edwards Middle School in South Windsor, Connecticut, builds a robotic hand out of common household materials to learn more about biomedical engineering. The exercise is intended to mimic the processes that biomedical engineers use to build prosthetic devices. (Christopher LaRosa/UConn Photo)

Ariyah Powers, left, and Dabria Arana from West Side STEM Magnet Middle School in Groton, Connecticut, use strawberries to learn how to extract DNA. (Christopher LaRosa/UConn Photo)

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Ariyah Powers, left, and Dabria Arana from West Side STEM Magnet Middle School in Groton, Connecticut, use strawberries to learn how to extract DNA. (Christopher LaRosa/UConn Photo)

Sophia Cahoon from East Hampton Middle School in East Hampton, Connecticut learns more about biomedical engineering by learning how to extract DNA from strawberries. (Christopher LaRosa/UConn Photo)

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Sophia Cahoon from East Hampton Middle School in East Hampton, Connecticut learns more about biomedical engineering by learning how to extract DNA from strawberries. (Christopher LaRosa/UConn Photo)

Ashley Leung '19 (ENG), left, a UConn biomedical engineering major, helps Lucy Fader from The Williams School in New London, Connecticut, test her cantilever beam made from simple materials. (Christopher LaRosa/UConn Photo)

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Ashley Leung '19 (ENG), left, a UConn biomedical engineering major, helps Lucy Fader from The Williams School in New London, Connecticut, test her cantilever beam made from simple materials. (Christopher LaRosa/UConn Photo)

Kashvi Bokria, left, and Sophia Wong from Timothy Edwards Middle School in South Windsor, Connecticut, build a cantilever beam out of common materials to learn more about engineering. (Christopher LaRosa/UConn Photo)

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Kashvi Bokria, left, and Sophia Wong from Timothy Edwards Middle School in South Windsor, Connecticut, build a cantilever beam out of common materials to learn more about engineering. (Christopher LaRosa/UConn Photo)

Science and technology are not career paths that readily spring to mind for a majority of adolescent girls. But UConn’s School of Engineering is taking steps to change that, with a program that demonstrates to young women who are about to start high school that there are multiple options available to them for careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

On April 3, nearly 240 8th-grade girls from middle schools around the state came to campus for a one-day conference, Multiply Your Options, aimed at exposing them to female role models in the STEM fields. Hosted by the School of Engineering with assistance from the UConn chapter of the Society of Women Engineers, the program is based on the premise that female students should have the same ability and opportunity to pursue careers in STEM as males.

During the event, the participants took part in hands-on workshops and problem-solving activities conducted by female facilitators in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology-focused careers, and were able to explore the wide variety of opportunities that are open to them in STEM.

The University has held dozens of Multiply Your Options conferences over the past 26 years, and more than 6,000 young women have participated. Some former participants are currently attending UConn with majors in STEM fields; others have already graduated from the University and are now pursuing careers in STEM.

The schools represented April 3 include: Ashford School in Ashford, Horace W. Porter School in Columbia, East Hampton Middle School in East Hampton, Two Rivers Magnet Middle School in East Hartford, West Side STEM Magnet Middle School in Groton, RHAM Middle School in Hebron, The Williams School in New London, North Canaan Elementary School in North Canaan, Pomfret Community School in Pomfret Center, the Academy of Aerospace & Engineering in Rocky Hill, Timothy Edwards Middle School in South Windsor, Stafford Middle School in Stafford, Mansfield Middle School in Storrs, and Vernon Center Middle School in Vernon.