University Library News
Georgia State University

CURVE Hosts the WIT Girls for STEM Career Event

On a Thursday evening last week, CURVE hosted a group of exceptional young women interested in STEM fields. The high schoolers are part of an organization called WIT, or Women In Technology, which “passionately supports women at every stage of their STEM careers—from the classroom to the boardroom,” according to the WIT website. The girls participate in activities and tours sponsored by Atlanta universities and businesses that focus on careers in science, technology, engineering, and math.

At the “Building Your Professional Toolbox” event, sponsored by GSU’s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, the WIT girls rotated through learning stations featuring different technology and career information. Some of the highlights included activities led by GSU librarians in their academic specialties.

Mandy Swygart-Hobaugh, Librarian for Sociology, Gerontology, and Data Services, showcased data science careers by demonstrating how to map and visualize Twitter data with Tableau and NVivo.

Swygart-Hobaugh demonstrates data visualization features in Tableau on the CURVE interactWall

Business Data Services Librarian Ximin Mi took the students on a worldwide vacation through a combination of Google Maps and a Vive virtual reality headset, and discussed the future of virtual reality, computer science, and tech jobs.

Mi shows how to put on the Vive headset using a face mask

Kelsey Jordan, Librarian for Biology, Chemistry, and Neuroscience, led a “live” drawing workshop on medical illustration and health careers, featuring a real human heart, liver, and kidneys.

Jordan introduces some examples of medical illustration