Editor’s Note: We’ve been exploring the lack of female representation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and celebrating the positive steps women have taken in STEM. The first installment of this month-long project can be found here.

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Credit: sheheroes.org

Research indicates that girls are dissuaded from science and math early on in life. To combat that, a growing number of organizations are providing resources meant to encourage interest and excitement in the STEM fields. Below is a list of 10 such initiatives, each one engaging with STEM girls in varied and powerful ways.

Read on to learn more about them.

IGNITE
About: IGNITE is a multi-pronged initiative designed to foster girls’ interests in STEM through training programs, introductions to role models, field trips, job shadowing opportunities and more.
Click here for more information.

Aspire (Society of Women Engineers)
About: Aspire is an effort coordinated by the SWE  to generate excitement for engineering in K-12 girls. It also offers a scholarship program and online training for future female engineers.
Click here for more information.

Digigirlz (Microsoft)
About: Digigirlz offers online educational courses specifically geared toward young women in high school. It is an extension of the Microsoft YouthSpark program.
Click here for more information.

Women and Girls Initiative (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)
About: Through online fact sheets and videos, as well as virtual mentor programs and a five-day summer institute, NASA reaches out to girls of all ages with interests in STEM.
Click here for more information.

National Girls Collaborative Project
About: The NGCP brings together various organizations throughout the nation that are unified in their dedication to girls in STEM. At present, there are 31 Collaboratives servicing 39 states.
Click here for more information.

Brainy Girls
About: Fish biologist Dr. Marci Koski put together Brainy Girls, an online magazine that emphasizes the value of using one’s brain. She created it as an alternative to magazines focused on offering beauty tips.
Click here for more information.

String Machine

Girls Who Code
About: Educators, entrepreneurs and engineers come together to expand computer science education through Girls Who Code, in order to prepare young women for the next generation of jobs. They hope to reach 1 million girls by 2020.
Click here for more information.

FabFems
About: FabFems gives girls access to a database of female STEM professionals. They are continually expanding their directory of prospective mentors for young girls contemplating STEM careers.
Click here for more information.

Tech Trek (American Association of University Women)
About: This weeklong summer camp for girls in the eighth grade lets participants explore their interests in STEM fields through activities such as building robots or extracting their own DNA. Their seventh-grade science and math teachers nominate campers for participation.
Click here for more information.

GoldieBlox
About: Invented by entrepreneur and engineer Debbie Sterling, GoldieBlox are designed to introduce girls to the wonders of engineering through playtime and telling stories. The company hopes to permanently disrupt the “pink aisle” in toy stores.
Click here for more information.

For a List of All Project Posts: The Story Exchange on STEM Entrepreneurship