On Sunday, August 19, the Indy Women in Tech LPGA Championship crowned a winner of the four-day game play and signified the close to a week of STEM-focused events.

The full week (August 13 – 19) consisted of far more than four days of incredible golf at the Brickyard Crossing Golf Course. In addition to the national television coverage from the Golf Channel and the LPGA, there were numerous print, online and television reports that promoted the tech components of the week.

Overall STEM-focused news stories:

Former Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard had an op-ed published in the IndyStar both online and in the Sunday, August 11, edition of the paper.

Indianapolis television stations FOX-59, WISH-TV, RTV-6, WTHR-TV and WISH-TV’s IndyStyle highlighted the event in advance, speaking about both LPGA golf and the STEM events.

The Indianapolis Business Journal and Xconomy highlighted the connection between golf and the STEM events through Anthony Schoettle, the IBJ’s tech reporter, and Sarah Schmid Stevenson, the Detroit/Ann Arbor editor of Xconomy.

IWiT Summit

Tuesday, August 14

The IWiT Summit brought together more than 500 individuals to create conversation around not just increasing opportunities for women in tech, but specific insights into how women in Indianapolis perceive our tech ecosystem. Reshma Saujani, Founder and CEO of Girls Who Code, was this year’s keynote speaker.

Click here to view Inside INdiana Business’ interview with Reshma Saujani.

During the IWiT Summit, WGU Indiana announced a $10,000 scholarship on stage, the largest scholarship amount the university has awarded in its history. Additionally, WGU Indiana offered three scholarships at $2,000 to three other women who WGU Indiana found equally deserving.

“WGU Indiana is delighted to award scholarships to help these students take the next step in their education and tech careers,” said WGU Indiana Chancellor Allison Barber. “Indiana employers desperately need qualified employees to fill tech jobs. WGU’s flexible, affordable degree programs make it possible for more women to earn the tech degrees and credentials they need to meet this workforce need. We’re joining IWiT and our great partner, Ivy Tech Community College, in our mutual commitment to offering women opportunities to enter and advance in tech careers in our state.”

Watch the interview on Inside INdiana Business here.

The Eureka Exchange

Tuesday, August 14 – Friday, August 17

For the second year, the Eureka Exchange provided several hands-on STEM activities for elementary and middle school students from various schools around Indianapolis, including Frankton Elementary and Speedway Schools. Rolls-Royce, TechPoint Foundation for Youth, Crossroads Education, Codelicious and more participated by providing the various activities and helping kids understand what their future in tech could look like. This year, The Eureka Exchange newly partnered with the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and several kids were able to interact with the hands-on STEM activities.

Christine McDonnell, founder of Codelicious, a Mira Award winning company, gives a demonstration to students during The Eurkea Exchange.

Nextech Pathways to Tech

High school students from Decatur and Hamilton Southeastern spent a day at the track learning from a group of tech workers about how they could launch their career in tech, and what tech careers are available and look like. Students were able to ask questions of the audience, ranging from how they got started in their careers to what advice they would offer a young student ready to launch a business or tech idea. Panelists included: Kristi Kennedy (NCAA), Dana Donati (Republic Airways / The LIFT Academy), Ellie Symes (The Bee Corp), Brandon Boynton (Vemity), Jeremy Miller (SnapShyft), and Kolby McElvain (High Alpha).

Pictured from left: Dana Donati, Jeremy Miller, Kristi Kennedy, Ellie Symes

360 Viewing Deck and STEM Zone

Families out on the golf course had an opportunity to engage with robotics from TechPoint Foundation for Youth at the 360 Viewing Deck, located near holes 15, 16, 17 and 18. Kids and adults could interact with the robotics and learn about ways to get involved with school-based robotics clubs while watching the golf tournament.

Kids enjoying hands-on time with robots.

Now that the second year of the three-year commitment has concluded, the next focus will be on empowering the IWiT Foundation to make more connections and create opportunities for youth and especially young girls and women into tech careers. For more information, visit https://www.indywit.com/ and visit http://www.iwitchamp.com for event-specific details. Mark your calendars for 2019’s event week, which runs August 12 through August 18.