CURRENT EVENTS
February 20-23, 2025
Girls STEAM Institute Business Challenge 2025
in ENGAGE XR
Join us for the groundbreaking GSI Business Challenge 2025 in ENGAGE XR, where innovation meets impact! This unique event combines the energy of a Startup Weekend with the creativity of a hack-a-thon, bringing together youth teams and accomplished GSI STEAMERS to tackle one of the most pressing issues of our time: mental health. Aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, teams will develop technology-based business solutions to address mental health challenges. Each team will be guided by industry mentors, providing invaluable insights and connections. This is an unparalleled opportunity for young innovators to collaborate globally, hone their leadership and entrepreneurship skills, and make a real difference in mental health care. Don’t miss your chance to be part of this transformative experience that’s shaping the future of both technology and well-being!
Monthly STEAM Expert Speakers: Sessions on gaming, scientists, technologist, space, engineering, artificial intelligence, investments, business leadership skills, and more are offered monthly in ENGAGE XR to members, mentors, and the general public to promote youth in business. We explore the topics of most interest to youth eager to embrace business leadership skills and invest in our future.
Ongoing – Learn to Discern Webinars and Civics Training (Open to the Public): Access educational webinars and training on key civics lessons in virtual reality to build resilience to information manipulation, and understand the ecosystem of social media and the news media. This is a fun, engaging, and relevant learning experience, courtesy of IREX Organization.
Ongoing – Habitudes®– Self Development Youth Program (Members Only): Habitudes was created by Tim Elmore and Growing Leaders as an image-based leadership development curriculum that teaches young adults essential leadership habits and attitudes through engaging images, stories, and experiences. Used in schools, businesses, and organizations worldwide, Habitudes helps students build strong character, self-discipline, and emotional security, while promoting critical thinking and effective decision-making. The program is designed to resonate with today’s visual learners, making leadership principles memorable and applicable in real-life situations. Licensed through Growing Leaders, Inc.
HOW TO ATTEND
Girls STEAM Institute events are held on ZOOM and in VR.
Zoom Events: Events in Zoom will be accompanied by a link to the event call. We recommend that participants wear gaming headphones or earbuds for the best quality sound.
Virtual Reality Events: There are multiple ways to attend the event, and a VR headset is not required. We strongly recommend gaming headphones or earbuds for the best quality sound. Think of it as attending online conference session in immersive 360.
Click the event link and click ATTEND to receive an email reminder with more instructions before the event.
Before setting up ENGAGE XR on your computer/laptop, mobile device, or VR headset, go to ENGAGE XR and register for free. Remember the username, email, and password!
- Computer/Laptop
- Go to ENGAGE XR and download and install the desktop version.
- At the time of the event, start the ENGAGE XR software, login, click the event link in the EVENT screen and JOIN.
- Mobile Device (phone or tablet)
- Go to ENGAGE XR and download and install the mobile version or install through your device store.
- At the time of the event, start the ENGAGE XR app, login, and click the event link to join.
- VR Headset (Quest, Pico, and many others)
- Go to the VR headset store and download and install the ENGAGE XR app.
- At the time of the event, launch the ENGAGE XR app and Join the event.
For more detailed instructions and information, see the ENGAGE XR support documentation and videos.
PAST EVENTS
Girls STEAM Institute Holiday Reunion and Gala
December 3 and 4, 2024
Join us to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Girls STEAM Institute, we are hosting a two-day celebration in December as part of our Holiday Gala 2024. These events are free and open to GSI Alumni, members, mentors, parents, and the public.
Tuesday, December 3, 2024
4 PM PT / 7 PM ET / 12 AM UK / 1 AM Paris / 3 AM Kenya
GSI Reunion on Zoom
Keynote: Erin Coscia, NASA Flight Safety Officer and GSI Alum
Wednesday, December 4, 2024
4 PM PT / 7 PM ET / 12 AM UK / 1 AM Paris / 3 AM Kenya
GSI Holiday Gala in ENGAGE XR
Keynote: Dr. Tom Furness, Co-Founder of the Virtual World Society and grandfather of VR
For more details and information, see the full announcement. See the How to Attend section for more information on how to attend these events in Zoom and VR.
Girls STEAM Institute 2024 Business Challenge
August 1-4, 2024 in ENGAGE XR
For Mentors, Parents, and Teachers
Thursday, August 1, 2024 Open House and Tour
1 PM PT / 4 PM ET / 9 PM UK / 5 AM* Hong Kong / 8 AM* Sydney
Girls STEAM Institute Business and Educators in VR will introduce you to the potential for XR education and careers, opening hearts and minds to the possibilities. Careers in XR technology are vast and diverse, from design and development to teaching and training to psychology and sociology and more. The integration of AI and XR takes this even further as the technology becomes embedded in our day-to-day life and work. This is an interactive discussion, so join us and imagine the future.
Saturday, August 3, 2024 Business Challenge for Mentors, Parents, and Educators – (2-hours)
9 AM PT / noon ET / 5 PM UK / midnight* Hong Kong / 2 AM* Sydney
Girls STEAM Institute Business Challenge this year hosts two special guest speakers covering the topics key to empowering mentors, parents, and educators to support young girls in STEAM.
Mentoring Teens in STEAM: Prabhleen Kaur Lamba is a passionate advocate for STEAM education and youth empowerment. As long time alum of Girl STEAM Institute and sports enthusiast, she has dedicated herself to inspiring and supporting young girls in pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics. She is currently serving as a Software Engineering Intern at Uber as an undergraduate student at Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Computer Science majoring in Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Prabhleen’s commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion in STEAM fields is evident through her work in developing educational programs and organizing events that provide hands-on learning experiences for teens. She is also co-founder of Cards 4 COVID Heroes, which aimed to support healthcare workers during the pandemic. Through her experiences and advocacy, she continues to inspire and support teens in navigating the STEAM landscape. Prabhleen’s efforts extend beyond her organization, as she actively participates in various initiatives and speaks at conferences to promote STEAM education and gender equality in these fields.
The Future of AI in Careers: Dr. Angelina Dayton, known as “The VR Lady,” is the Executive Director of the Virtual World Society and an Aspen Institute Tech Policy Fellow. She spent the last year monitoring one of the first AI-only taught classes in primary education. She will share her unique insights on the impact of AI on education and careers as it becomes more embedded into our lives and work.
With a strong background in anthropology and education, she specializes in integrating emerging technologies, particularly virtual reality (VR), into educational settings. Dr. Dayton has worked extensively with over 60,000 students, parents, and educators, focusing on creating XR curriculum and training programs in rural Native communities, most recently with the Virtual World Society HomeSpark project. Her expertise lies in human-computer interaction, where she assesses how to effectively deploy technology in low-resourced environments.
Please join us as we help mentors, parents, and educators support young girls explore their own future.
April 26 & 27, 2024 in ENGAGE XR (Virtual Reality) & Zoom
10th Anniversary VR Global Celebration STEAM Awards Gala
Girls and young women honored & key speakers
October 7, 2023 – Girls STEAM Ahead with NASA
for Girls- 12-18, parents, and mentors
Sunriver, Oregon
May 19-21, 2023 – Girls STEAM Institute 2023 Business Challenge
ENGAGE XR (virtual reality)
May 2022- Girls STEAM Institute 2023 Business Challenge
AltspaceVR (virtual reality)
June 2021- Girls STEAM Institute 2023 Business Challenge
AltspaceVR (virtual reality)