The STEM Lab for Girls: Re-building Confidence in STEM

BioEndeavor's Virtual STEAM Lab for girls is a live, online program where gifted and ambitious girls learn science, technology, engineering, arts, and math above grade level, and then use those skills to tackle real problems in their communities . The real-world problems align with BioEndeavor's focus on connecting STEM to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Why girls' confidence matters now

Girls have every reason to thrive in STEM, but the data shows their confidence often slips at exactly the age the STEAM Lab serves.

The 2024 Girls' Index, a survey of U.S. girls, found that girls' confidence declines most sharply between grades 5 and 9, even among high achievers. Only 59% of girls believe they are good at math and science, down from 73% in 2017. That drop matters, because confident girls were 20% more likely to consider a STEM career. The survey also found that 86% of girls want a career that helps others, yet only 49% of them were considering STEM. (Chin, 2024)

Microsoft's survey of more than 6,000 girls and young women tells a similar story. In middle school, 31% of girls say jobs in coding and programming aren't for them. That rises to 40% in high school and 58% in college. Role models make a real difference: 61% of girls who know a woman in STEM feel empowered doing STEM activities, compared with 44% of girls who don't. Hands-on learning helps too. 75% of girls in STEM clubs and activities understand the kinds of jobs STEM can lead to, compared with 53% of girls who don't take part (Microsoft, 2018).

The takeaway is clear. Girls need hands-on experiences, role models, and a sense that STEM can help people, and they need these before confidence starts to fade. That is exactly what the STEAM Lab is designed to offer.

Learning from real scientists

The lab was created by Dr. Minna Allarakhia, co-founder of BioEndeavor. She is a graduate of MIT, Brown University and the University of Waterloo. She started BioEndeavor to inspire her children and other STEM inclined, gifted and/or homeschooled children to find their purpose and passion through STEAM for GOOD. This program specifically seeks to empower girls across science, math, language, technology, AI, through leadership opportunities and national/global competitions. BioEndeavor helps girls think ahead - not having to wait to be challenged.

Girls learn from Dr. Allarakhia alongside PhDs and professors, so they see what real scientists, researchers, and innovators look like and how they think.

A year of discovery

Each month explores a different aspect of STEAM with purpose always in mind.

Month	What girls explore
October	Writing for Good: narrative and persuasive writing with media
November	Entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and designing with AI
December	Leadership, networking, community projects, and finding grants
January	Designing and preparing a science fair project
February	Biomimicry: using biology and chemistry to build a healthier planet
March	STEM work experience focused on smart, inclusive cities
April	Writing and reporting on issues transforming our world
May	Math in the real world, from fractions to data science
June	Tech for Her: designing a women's health app and training AI

The range is intentional. A girl who signs up for science may discover she loves writing, and a girl who joins for writing may find herself designing an app.

The skills girls build

Over the year, girls build a toolkit that reaches well beyond any single subject.

Skill area	What girls practise
Science and research	Designing experiments, using the scientific method, and preparing science fair projects
Biology and chemistry	Applying nature-inspired biomimicry to design sustainable solutions
Technology and AI	Designing with AI, building a women's health app, and training an AI model
Math and data	Applying math to real problems, from fractions to data science
Engineering and design	Planning smart, inclusive cities through a STEM work experience
Writing and communication	Narrative, persuasive, and media writing, plus reporting on global issues
Entrepreneurship	Turning ideas into ventures, financial literacy, and pitching solutions
Leadership	Leading community projects, networking, and finding grants and awards

How skills are built, not just taught

In the STEAM Lab, skills grow through doing. Each four-week module follows a simple process: girls learn a new concept, apply it to a real-world challenge, and then use it to create something of their own. A lesson on data science becomes a story about a real community problem. A unit on biology becomes a design inspired by nature. By the end of the month, the skill isn't something girls memorized for a test. It is something they have used.

Skills also build on each other across the year. The writing girls practice in the fall helps them explain their science fair projects in the winter. The entrepreneurship and leadership modules teach them how to turn an idea into a venture and find funding. By spring, girls are bringing together research, design, technology, and communication in a single project, the way scientists and innovators do in the real world.

Every skill is also tied to a purpose. Girls aren't just learning to code; they're designing a health app for women. They aren't just studying cities; they're imagining cities that are safer and more inclusive. This connection to helping others is what the research says keeps girls engaged, and it gives every new skill a reason to matter.

Finally, girls put their skills to the test in public. Passion projects can go on to science fairs, writing and innovation competitions, community ventures, or journal publications for BioEndeavor's International Journal of Social Good and Innovation.. Presenting work to judges, readers, and peers builds the communication skills and resilience that carry into high school, university, and beyond.

Just as important are the skills that don't fit neatly in a table: curiosity, critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and the confidence to share an idea and stand behind it. These are the skills that help girls keep choosing STEAM long after the lab ends.

From passion projects to real results

The results speak for themselves. BioEndeavor students have earned gold medals, scholarships, and top-in-fair awards at regional and national science fairs, with experience reaching all the way to the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). They have placed in the top 10% of global writing competitions and partnered with women entrepreneurs in the Global South. Just as important, parents watch their daughters grow more confident with every project.

How to join

Getting started is easy. Families can book a free trial session where girls share their interests and meet the faculty. If your daughter is curious, driven, and ready for more, visit the STEAM Lab page to book her free session. Her next big idea might be one module away.

References

BioEndeavor Inc. (n.d.). The STEAM lab for gifted and ambitious girls. BioEndeavor Academy. https://bioendeavor.thinkific.com/products/live_events/steamlab4girls

Chin, S. (2024, October 9). Confidence crisis hampers girls pursuing STEM. Design News. https://www.designnews.com/industry/confidence-crisis-hampers-girls-pursuing-stem

Microsoft. (2018). Closing the STEM gap: Why STEM classes and careers still lack girls and what we can do about it.