Sometimes, the difference between a good educational experience and a great educational experience is the environment.
That’s the idea behind CoolTechGirls, a Dublin-based nonprofit that provides programs for girls to explore STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education.
Because the program is offered only to girls, participants are able to learn in a comfortable environment and build relationships with peers and mentors, says Purba Majumder, CoolTechGirls president and creator.
“I just want them to feel comfortable,” Majumder says.
CoolTechGirls is supported by Majumder’s own business, Cybervation; the City of Dublin; the Dublin Entrepreneurial Center (DEC); and a network of local business leaders. The nonprofit offers hands-on classes and information sessions to girls from grades 4-12. More than 225 girls have participated since the program began last year.
Events are held every few months and range from short sessions to daylong and multi-day events. Class topics range from website design to 3D printing, and many courses are hands-on.
DEC hosts most of the events, assists with finding sponsors and helps promote and support the organization, says Chaz Freutel, center director.
While a majority of DEC tenants are in information technology and similar fields, women are a minority in those sectors. With two daughters of his own, Freutel has a passion to encourage girls to have more educational options.
“Purba’s definitely been the lead on this,” Freutel says. “I think she’s a great example for other young ladies.”
Majumder’s interest in technological science came from a love of research and a desire to be like her mother, who was a Sanskrit professor for 36 years.
As a young girl in Kolkata, India, Majumder also wanted to be a professor someday.
“I was very motivated by my mom,” Majumder says.
Majumder came from a family heavily immersed in science and education. Her father was an engineer who designed bridges and roads for the s
tate government. Her brother eventually became an engineer. Her grandfather was a teacher who believed education was the single most important thing one could give a child.
Majumder also grew up around classical Indian music and began learning to play when she was 6. She now offers voice training courses in classical Indian music to boys and girls.
Majumder came to the U.S. in 1992 as a 24-year-old graduate student on a scholarship with the University of Toledo. She studied global information systems and city planning.
While completing her master’s program, Majumder became enchanted with computers, which weren’t so readily available in India.
“You had to go somewhere to access computers,” she says. “People didn’t have computers in their houses.”
She recognized the role computers would play in the future, with their ability to coordinate databases and information.
As she was working as a research scientist, Majumder began taking classes in information systems. While working full-time, she carried 16 credit hours, attending school at night and on weekends.
“I never worked so hard in my entire life,” Majumder says.
Having lived in Columbus since 1995, Majumder moved to Dublin in 2006. She and her husband, Indra, wanted to build a house in the City because of the strong school system, she says.
While working in software development, Majumder started Cybervation in 1998, providing consulting services on evenings and weekends. In 2010, she left her full-time job to focus on her company. It was through the company that, in 2012, she became acquainted with Freutel at the DEC.
When Majumder and Freutel were discussing a way to provide an outlet to educate young girls, Majumder’s oldest daughter, Ellora, was in the seventh grade. Noticing that few girls were participating in the robotics activity in which she was involved, Ellora worried that her peers would think she was a “nerd.”
By contrast, in India, Majumder says, the dynamic is quite different. When young girls grow up, they are told to excel in science and math because of the jobs available. There are many female software engineers and doctors in India, and more girls pursuing computer science than in the U.S.
In the U.S., Majumder would often see girls too afraid to try certain things. She realized she could do something to help them.
In 2012, she created a business proposal to share with Freutel, who in turn shared it with the City of Dublin. In 2013, CoolTechGirls began offering sessions. Forty-seven girls attended the first event, which featured speakers on different topics including interviewing skills, networking, databases, programming and biochemistry. A June event had 43 girls in attendance.
Past class topics have included video game programming and robotics. High school students are also encouraged to be leaders in the program, organizing workshops, developing new projects and setting up presentations.
Though some programs, such as summer camps, have associated costs, most are free. Those who plan to attend are encouraged to RSVP, as space is limited.
Anne Carlisle’s daughter Izzy, 11, has been attending CoolTechGirls programs since it started. The Grizzell Middle School sixth-grader has always been interested in figuring out how things work, Carlisle says.
The program has allowed Izzy to tap into her interest in STEM at an early age.
“This gives girls a chance to explore in a non-threatening environment,” she says.
Izzy appreciates the wide variety of programs offered by CoolTechGirls, she says.
“I enjoy the things they do,” she says.
Since learning how to program video games, she has taken an outside class to learn about HTML coding for Web pages.
While she doesn’t expect every girl to end up in the STEM disciplines, Majumder encourages all of them to at least explore the subject.
“They should choose what they want to do, but they should also be exposed to all of these different options,” Majumder says.
Sarah Sole is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
Those interested in joining the CoolTechGirls team can visit www.cooltechgirls.org or email info@cooltechgirls.org.
