COLLINSVILLE, Ill., March 19, 2018 – Girl Scout troops in Illinois recently met with women who work in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields at Ameren Illinois and participated in educational events at company locations in Belleville, Decatur and Peoria. The event, held on International Women’s Day (March 8), sought to offer local Girl Scouts a glimpse into the many career paths available in STEM.
“Organizations like the Girl Scouts help to mold the next generation of female leaders,” said Gussie Reed, Ameren Illinois Division Director covering Decatur. “We hope that, through a fun and interactive activity such as building a mini-robot, these young women can connect with and learn from a few of our female employees on International Women’s Day. We want these young girls to know that the world of STEM is not only open to all women, but a great career option.”
The scouts were able to meet coworkers representing a variety of disciplines – from an electric distribution engineer who ensures electricity safely reaches customers' homes, to a gas technical engineer who is working on upgrading gas pipelines across the state. The event included a safety message, a sneak peek into employees' daily responsibilities, and background on what drew them to a career in STEM. The Girl Scouts then worked alongside the employees to create mini robots, which taught them how to utilize a motor and completed circuit to physically move the device.
At the end of the day, each of the Girl Scouts received a STEM patch for their participation in the project, as well as a hard hat and an Ameren Illinois educational goodie bag.
In total, Ameren Illinois hosted more than 60 Girl Scouts at three separate events across Central and Southern Illinois.
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About Ameren Illinois
Ameren Illinois delivers energy to 1.2 million electric and 816,000 natural gas customers throughout central and southern Illinois. Our service territory covers more than 1,200 communities and 43,700 square miles and our mission is to power the quality of life. For more information, visit AmerenIllinois.com. Follow us on Twitter @AmerenIllinois and Facebook.