On Saturday, April 27th, Girls for Technology, an after-school program based in Hartford, CT that offers girls in minority and underprivileged communities access to emerging technologies, stopped by the Innovate Lab with students in their augmented reality (AR)/virtual reality (VR) program. There, these young girls were able to utilize virtual reality headsets, drones, augmented reality tools, and wearable technologies to spur their interest in STEM fields. With the insights of Innovate lab specialists, students were even given advice and information on how VR/AR can be used in a commercial setting.

The Girls for Technology AR/VR program ended its most recent cycle with their trip to the Innovate Lab. After the three-hour program set up by Innovate director Jon Moore and participating student lab specialists, many student workers left with a feeling of fulfillment. “I had a very fun time walking students through how to use the technologies we provide at Innovate,” said Joanne Cheong (MIS ’20), “I also felt like a made a difference by giving these young girls career advice and encouraging them to explore how to use these technologies in positive and profitable ways.”  Alexander Zevin (Computer Science & Finance ’21) followed by saying, “I thought it was very important to show these young girls not to be intimidated by the learning curve associated with certain technologies.”

We thank Girls for Technology for visiting Innovate and hope we helped inspire your young students!

 

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