On Monday, February 17, the NiSource Charitable Foundation, in partnership with Columbia Gas, hosted an inaugural event for Western Pennsylvania Girl Scouts, “Introduce a Girl To STEAM,” a hands-on experience designed to inspire and engage girls in grades 4 through 8 in exploring dynamic careers in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM).
Held at the Columbia Gas Operations and Training centers in Monaca, nearly 20 Girl Scouts participated in team challenges, explored demonstration stations with STEAM experiments and presentations, attended a STEAM panel, and experienced a Safety Village and Gas Safety experiment with nearly 30 employee volunteers from Columbia Gas. The event concluded with lunch and awards recognizing the team challenge winners.
Jill Szwed, a meteorologist for WTAE Channel 4 in Pittsburgh, served as a guest speaker and talked with the Girl Scouts about how her passion for weather was sparked in middle school and how science played a key role in her pursuing a career in meteorology. She encouraged the girls to follow their passions and consider careers in STEAM fields.
The Foundation held STEAM events simultaneously at NiSource companies in Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia and Pennsylvania, encouraging more than 300 girls across the five states to dream big as they explored innovative careers in science and technology. Employees, including engineers, volunteered to mentor and guide the girls through a half-day curriculum that varied from natural gas and electric demonstrations to fun instructional activities, games and competitions.
“Our goal today was to get these girls energized about STEAM at a very young age and inspire them to someday pursue a rewarding career in science, technology and engineering,” said Melody Birmingham, NiSource Charitable Foundation board member, and Executive Vice President & Group Utilities President for NiSource Inc.
Women occupy 26 percent of STEM positions in the United States and just 15 percent of all engineering jobs, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, Women’s Bureau 2024 data.
“With ‘Introduce a Girl to STEAM,’ we are nurturing the talent needed to innovate and carry our industry forward for generations to come,” Birmingham said. “We want these girls to feel excited at envisioning themselves someday as engineers and leaders in technology.”
DAWN (Developing and Advancing Women at NiSource) employee resource group also played an instrumental role in planning the event. And Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania partnered with the Girls Scouts of Western Pennsylvania to engage the girls and register them for the event.
“One of the NiSource Charitable Foundation’s primary goals is to make a significant impact on STEM education and workforce development in every community our utility serves,” said Mark Kempic, a Foundation board member and Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania President. “We hope this event will serve as a catalyst for introducing young girls to careers where women are otherwise underrepresented.”
