TOOELE, Utah — A group of young women in Tooele and their teacher are trying to pave the way for other women in STEM, which is continually male-dominated.
Despite the progress that's been made in pushing more girls and women into fields of science technology, engineering and math, studies show the "STEM Gap" is persisting.
“I have had a passion for STEM, it’s really fun," explained student Zuriann Kay. "I’ve always liked building things, I plan on doing chemical engineering.”
But five freshmen female students at Tooele High School are working to close those gaps.
“I was surprised no boys joined us really, I’m glad it’s just the girls club because it wouldn’t be as fun," reflected Mya Erikson. "The boys try to take over everything, they think they’re so cool.”
The students just won the first round of a nationwide STEM contest, sponsored by Samsung, scoring $12,000 in technology for their school.
Of course, the group has a strong mentor at the helm. Nicole Belknap, who is now a math teacher at the school.
“I didn’t have to do anything to motivate them, these girls are inspiring, they’re brilliant, and they’re freshmen,” Belknap praised.
Belknap was just one of four women who graduated with a physics degree from Brigham Young University in 1999.
“It wasn’t female, it wasn’t popular then," she explained. "So that’s what’s so fun about inspiring these girls who love science.”
Belknap saw details for the Samsung Solve For Tomorrow STEM competition and took it as a call to action.
"Samsung said; ‘find this problem in your community and then come up with a solution for it,'" Belknap explained.
The fabulous five students focused on eradicating aquatic weeds in Stansbury Park Lake.
"We’re trying to remove the invasive lake weeds called phragmites from the lake," said Ashton Shields, a freshman at the school. "Our plan right now is to put vinegar on them to discourage new growth.”
For years now, crews have cut the weeds down at the surface but 80% of the phragmites are below water, which means this tactic isn't effective in the long term.
"The phragmites actually eat up a lot of water and we’re in the drought and that’s not great," reflected student Sophie Stoker.
The girls know how the lake impacts the community as they've grown up there and spent time at the park in all seasons.
"We spend summers here and like the weeds are like super gross," said Alexis Kirby.
Out of more than a thousand applications, the young ladies from Tooele High were named one of 50 state finalists, which earned their school $12,000 in new technology.
Now, they're putting together a three-minute video to convince Samsung judges they belong in the top ten.
“We’re just trying to make a difference even if it’s a small one," Stoker said. "The world’s not perfect, but we can make it a little closer.”
If their project advances to the top ten, the students will take a trip to Washington D.C. to face off against other young brilliant STEM minds from around the country.
