Photo: Yixuan (Vanessa) Chen



On Saturday, a wave of purple sparkles swept over Anne Sullivan Elementary School during the fourth annual GEMS (Girls in Engineering, Math, and Science) event for girls grades K-5.

GEMS is an event where girls in elementary school are exposed to different types of science through creative, hands-on activities. This year, which boasted a record attendance of 240 participants, began with a presentation by two women in STEM: NASA flight controller Dr. Sandra Moore introduced her work and answered questions submitted by the students, while Jurassic Jill from Mad Science of Houston led an engaging cooling experiment show featuring dry ice.

“I felt like I wanted to be like them when I grow up,” fifth grader Elissa said about the presenters, later elaborating that she wanted to be an astronaut.

After the presentations, the students were able to participate in three different classes provided by Success Zone vendors. Girls in grades K-2 had the opportunity to put together LEGO tops in Building Brains, make and test makeshift wheelchairs in Inventors & Engineers, and examine their fingerprints up close in Mad Science. Girls in grades 2-5 were able to build LEGOs in American Robotics Academy, learn about 3D modeling in Black Rocket, and use 3D pens in Nexplore. These activities simultaneously entertained and educated the girls, leading to a lot of smiles and laughter throughout the event.

“I think it’s a great thing for girls…it’s an opportunity for their future, for them to have a good career,” parent Marisol Francesconi said when asked about her opinion on GEMS.

After 4 years of hosting GEMS, Fort Bend ISD is proud to have represented 33 FBISD elementary schools and 7 non-district schools, bringing total attendance to 739 girls. The district hopes that GEMS will reduce unequal representation in STEM fields by inspiring and empowering young girls.

“I think it’s really just about exposing girls and kids in general to just what opportunities are out there,” Director of Extended Learning Kelly Keegan said. “It’s about having them find something that they’re excited and passionate about and how they can take that and turn it into a career opportunity in the future.”