Xavier Hosts ‘˜Girls Have IT’ Day

Xavier College Preparatory will partner with the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University to host its fifth annual Girls Have IT Day on March 1, 2013, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Developed by Xavier students and faculty, the day promotes young women’s involvement in science, information technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM). The day is part of this year’s Arizona SciTech Festival and is made possible through the generous support of the Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Foundation.

More than 400 middle school girls from around the Phoenix metropolitan area will participate in Xavier’s Girls Have IT Day, along with 100-plus Xavier students who will mentor the younger students throughout the day.

The program will begin with a lecture by Xavier alumna Emily Weissinger, an associate with ENVIRON International Corporation, an environmental consulting firm that helps companies around the world manage their most demanding health and environmental challenges. Although she primarily specializes in issues related to air quality, Weissinger’s projects have also included cleaning up oil spills, monitoring pollutants in water bodies and ensuring that Arizona mines are not damaging the environment or the health of anyone living near them.

Following the lecture, the students will participate in a hands-on, STEAM-focused activity fair hosted by members of Xavier’s various student clubs.