Webnames.ca Staff
Webnames is proud to be a long-standing sponsor of Science World’s Girls and STEAM initiative, which aims to ignite a passion for innovation in the next generation of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) leaders. This year’s Girls and STEAM Summit, held on November 2nd with the theme “Future Forward,” brought together over 300 participants for a day of hands-on learning, exploration, and mentorship.
As a technology company founded and led by a woman, this initiative holds special importance for our organization given the significant and well-documented underrepresentation of women in STEM fields, particularly technology – something we have written about before on this blog and in other publications online.
According to a 2023 report by Statistics Canada, women make up only 37% of STEM postsecondary graduates, with a recent Forbes report stating that women hold just 25% of total US tech positions in 2024. Maanwhile, other important research from the University of Tennessee indicates that more than 50% of women working in tech are likely to quit before the age of 35, and 56% by midcareer.
These dispiriting statistics underscore the critical need to encourage girls to pursue STEM interests and careers, especially during the crucial ages of 12-14 – the primary focus of the Girls and STEAM program. “If we’re going to encourage more women to become the next Nobel Prize-winning scientist or Silicon Valley CEO, we need to focus on all stages of our educational pipeline and also work tirelessly as business owners to dismantle the walls that women and female-identifying grads face in tech and other STEM-related workplaces,” says Cybele Negris, Webnames CEO and Science World board member.
At the recent summit, Webnames’s interactive showcase booth offered participants the opportunity to test their knowledge on digital safety, cybersecurity, and online privacy through a series of quizzes. The girls’ strong performance, with many scoring as well or better than adults, was an encouraging sign of their critical thinking skills and engagement with these important topics. Our interactive booth was just one dozens hosted by a wide range of sponsors doing innovative work in STEM fields across British Columbia, and that gave participants an opportunity to explore designing more sustainable cities, experiment with robotics and participate in developing life-saving medical technology
The event also featured mentorship sessions, hands-on workshops with STEAM professionals, and a keynote address by Moronke Harris, an award-winning deep-sea scientist with experience in climate engineering and intergovernmental work. These kinds of role models and hands-on experiences are vital in inspiring young women to pursue their STEM passions.
The Girls and STEAM initiative, however, is about more than just the annual summit. Throughout the year, the program offers a wide range of events, workshops, livestreams, mentorship opportunities, and resources aimed at expanding participants’ knowledge, access, and opportunities in STEM fields. Our participation in the summit followed Webnames’ hosting of a spooky themed webinar for Girls and STEAM this past October similarly focusing on areas of risk and safety online, particularly those of significance to preteens and teens such as recognizing disinformation and misinformation, understanding privacy settings, treating others with dignity and respect, and what to do in the event of online harassment of themselves or others.
As a longtime sponsor, Webnames is proud to support Science World’s efforts to address the gender gap in STEM and empower the next generation of women leaders. By investing in initiatives like Girls and STEAM, we can work towards a future where women are equally represented in the fields that are shaping our world. We are already looking forward to future years of sponsorhsip, and even more importantly, the innovations, outcomes and contributions of future generations of women in STEAM careers.