On May 21, the Women of AT&T Washington Chapter hosted approximately 75 middle school girls for its second annual Girls In Future Technology day at the Redmond Town Center campus.

The goal was to inspire girls in sixth to eighth grade to learn about science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers. An executive panel with women from Microsoft, Gates Foundation, Mogran Stanley and AT&T touched on issues of why the gender gap exists in so many STEM fields and how to address biases in the workplace and classroom.

Following the executive panel and presentations, local nonprofit xBot robotics brought in robots for racing and a 3D printer. Through the robotics demo, an “apptastic” workshop, tours of a Cell on Light Truck (COLT), telepresence videoconferencing and AT&T’s mobility testing lab, young girls from throughout the Eastside got hands-on exposure to the wild expanse of opportunity and fun in STEM careers. Lunch featured roundtable discussions led by Girls Who Code high school and college alum who tackled the tricky world of social media specifically addressing cyberbullying and peoples’ digital footprint.