WYOMISSING, Pa. — Penn State Berks celebrated the 25th anniversary of its Careers with Math Options Conference on May 7. A record total of 200 seventh grade students and chaperones from 15 schools in and around the Berks County area attended the event. The mission of the event is to generate excitement for STEM topics early in young female students’ education. 

The day began with a welcome address from Todd Migliaccio, vice chancellor and chief academic officer at Penn State Berks, and Jill Felker, lecturer in chemistry, and a keynote address from Radha Pyati, chancellor of Penn State Berks. A panel of Berks students from various disciplines served as a resource to talk about their majors and answered questions from the audience. 

The students were then divided into small groups, and each had an opportunity to attend three workshops over the day with a lunch break in Tully’s. In total, the college offered hands-on workshops in information technology, engineering, forensics, physics, biology, chemistry, kinesiology, occupational therapy, psychology, and career planning. Workshops were presented by college faculty members and students.  

For more information, contact Selvi Jagadesan, assistant teaching professor of mathematics, at SUJ2@psu.edu.