The Girls Excelling in Math and Science (GEMS) club strives to involve more girls in math and science through events that both teach girls about various STEM disciplines and provide a place to have fun in a supportive environment. Their most recent event, held Feb 23, did just that: GEMS invited interested girls to the Pre-Engineering lab in the 7000 breezeway, where participants learned to create custom bracelets and rings with jewelry wire and beading.
Managed by sophomore Victoria Tellez-Rahwan, a seasoned wire jewelry maker herself, the participants learned how to use common engineering lab tools like pliers and wire cutters to design their own accessorized pieces, which they took home and could wear later.
“The point of GEMS is to spread the love of STEM,” senior Junyi Xiu, a co-president of GEMS, said. “We did [the event] as a way to bring girls, STEM or not, together.”
Tellez-Rahwan seconded this. “Through the workshop, girls [were] introduced to various tools used in both robotics and engineering… [the jewels] are an example of the wide variety of items which can be designed and made with just tools, artistry and imagination.”
