Her Stem Space

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started,” – Mark Twain

The Virginia Beach Chapter of HerStemSpace is hosted by First Colonial Legal Studies Academy and run by current President Madison Taylor Austria in collaboration with SWENext. They recently held their first meeting and event, learning about pomology, the club’s mission, and participating in an experiment extracting strawberry DNA. The activity and presentation were made by Madison Taylor in a collaboration with members of the non-profit organization HerStemSpace team members.

The event was held at the school and was attended by First Colonial students. They learned about opportunities to get involved with STEM and robotics, and whilst the club is aimed towards women, the event was open to all, and many people attended. The focus was on pomology and plant science, what it means, how it works, and future careers within the field of study. Many found a new interest in this field of study and were excited to get the opportunity to explore different things. The Virginia Beach Chapter is focused on expanding and gaining more members and interest on social media platforms and in the community. The very first event was a success and led to new ideas and developments for the club. New Volunteers are getting involved and they’re set for success. They hope this club can grow to its fullest potential and continue inspiring women for future generations. 

As for the experiment, participants used instructions to break down strawberries in order to get a closer look at strawberry DNA. While doing so they got to use their skills learned in taking biology. They even got to enjoy a snack. Experiments and demonstrations are going to be a staple of each meeting/ event. This enables members to be active and engaged. Overall, through this the Virginia Beach Chapter hopes to reach and teach developing minds in the community.