Ten Midview Middle School Medical Detectives students and nine Midview High School Biomedical Sciences students recently participated in the Cleveland STEM Goes Red for Girls event, sponsored by the American Heart Association. This event offered female students a unique opportunity to explore their potential to create meaningful change in the world through STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).
STEM Goes Red for Girls is part of a nationwide initiative aimed at empowering future generations of female leaders in STEM fields. This year, the sold-out event brought together 320 girls from 32 schools across Greater Cleveland.
“A lot of the time when boys are at stuff, they tend to push past the girls,” said eighth-grader Stella Campbell. “I felt a lot more comfortable and confident being there and engaging. We actually got to learn and be involved.”
Hosted at the Great Lakes Science Center, the event connected seventh to ninth-graders with some of Greater Cleveland’s top STEM companies. Attendees participated in a hands-on exploration expo, speed mentoring sessions, and success sessions like “Engineering Your Success” from Parker Hannifin and “Discovery Heart” by University Hospitals. *A more detailed list of participating companies and activities can be found at the end of this article.
“It was incredibly meaningful to watch our students interact with peers from other schools and representatives from various industries,” said Midview High School Biomedical Sciences teacher Jessica Dembiec. “Seeing so many impressive women in STEM across Northeast Ohio was inspiring. We need more representation in these fields, and it’s important for our female students to realize that the sky's the limit for possibilities. Opportunities like this showcase the power of women supporting women.”
According to the American Heart Association’s STEM Goes Red website, while women hold nearly half of all jobs in the U.S., they account for less than 25% of STEM positions, despite millions of available roles. Employment in STEM occupations is projected to grow, yet women remain vastly underrepresented in these fields.
Midview Middle School PLTW teacher Brett Mattingly expressed his surprise at some of the statistics shared during the event and emphasized the importance of supporting female students in STEM. “Registration for this event fills up within a matter of minutes each year. I was trying to act as quickly as possible to secure spots for our students and was really excited we were able to attend. It’s nice to have a female-focused event that encourages exploration and helps students envision themselves in these roles,” said Mattingly. “With only 12% of women graduating with STEM degrees, it’s really important that we empower our students with the tools, opportunities, and support needed to increase that number.”
Midview Local School District has continued to recognize the importance of providing unique educational pathways and programming for students, especially in STEM. Our current career-technical courses include several aligned with Project Lead the Way (PLTW), which helps students build STEM knowledge and in-demand skills:
Midview Middle School: Magic of Electrons (PLTW), Flight and Space (PLTW), Green Architecture (PLTW), Automation and Robotics (PLTW), Computer Science (PLTW), Medical Detectives (PLTW)
Midview High School: Visual Design and Imaging, Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training (AFJROTC) (Embry Riddle), Broadcasting Arts and Communications, Business and Administrative Technology, Engineering (PLTW), Micro-electromechanical Systems (MEMS), Biomedical Science (PLTW), Exercise Science and Sports Medicine
Additionally, East Intermediate (grades 5 and 6) and West Elementary (grades 3 and 4) offer PLTW classes, allowing students to explore STEM concepts through hands-on learning, critical thinking, and problem-solving.
“Our career tech programs really open doors to future careers and college opportunities. The reason I decided to take the Principles of Biomedical Sciences class was to figure out if the medical field is something I am interested in,” said Jada Jackson, Midview High School freshman. “It was cool to understand some of the things the vascular surgeon guest speaker was talking about at the STEM Goes Red for Girls expo and to learn more about different opportunities related to the medical field and other STEM fields.”
Participating Companies at STEM Goes Red for Girls: Oatey, Lubrizol, Hunter International, Nordson, TriSource Exhibits, Olympic Steel, Cleveland Cavaliers, Applied Industrial Technologies, NASA, University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute, University Hospitals EMS Training & Disaster Preparedness Institute, Parker Hannifin, Swagelok, KeyBank, Nottingham Spirk, the NRP Group, Cleveland Clinic, Timken, the Energy Producer Entertainment, Microsoft, Western Governors University, and City of Cleveland Water
The exploration expo featured a variety of activities and demonstrations, including:
A booth showcasing a left ventricular assist device (LVAD), a mechanical pump surgically implanted to help the heart pump blood
CPR training
Heart valve replacement simulations
Slime making
Demonstrations of how P-traps (u-shaped pipes) prevent sewer gases from entering homes through plumbing
basic programming exercises
robotic arms in action
mini lathe
mechanical advantage demonstrations
pressure demonstrations, such as inflating a balloon using a bike pump.
button-making station
An overview of building electrical motors.
structural engineering challenges, including cookie stacking to illustrate engineering principles.