Science Club for Girls Launches at O'Neill Branch Library

The Cambridge Public Library is proud to offer a Science Club for Girls (SCFG) program at the O’Neill branch library this fall. This is a first-time (and very thrilling) collaboration between our organizations. Founded in 1994, Science Club for Girls is a registered non-profit organization that fosters excitement, confidence, and literacy in STEM for girls and young women from underrepresented communities with free, experiential community-based programs.

The target audience for the O’Neill program is 4th and 5th grade girls from groups underrepresented in STEM by income and/or race. They may also be first generation college-bound. The program’s four SCFG mentors (volunteer instructors) are all women of color who are either professionals in the STEM fields or students from local colleges and universities.

This pilot program is the first session that SCFG will host at the CPL, but also the first time SCFG will use a model where their staff will not be present at each session. Youth Services Librarian Clara Hendricks will be the logistical coordinator. Two of the mentors will be serving as the mentor supervisors, as they have participated in many programs before.

Registration for this weekly program, running from October 11-December 6, is now full at 13. Members of the public are invited to the final session, December 6 at 3:00 PM, which will be a Science Fair where the students will have an opportunity to practice what they learned.