Girls in increasing numbers have been opting out of
the worlds of math, science, and technology as
courses in school and as careers.

The GEMS club has been working since 1994 to
reverse this trend and to expose 5th and 6th grade
girls to the fun and wonder of these fields.


Explore these pages and find out about the GEMS
club, its purpose, history, activities, research, and
resources for encouraging girls and
maybe starting a club of your own!

Ever wanted to start you own GEMS club? The new GEMS Toolkit is available--free to download.

What We Do

The GEMS (Girls Excelling in Math and Science) club was started in 1994 by Laura Reasoner Jones, a teacher and parent of two school-age daughters.Upon hearing her daughter say she didn’t want to go to a
magnet school because “Math is hard.” Ms. Jones enlisted the help and support of her local elementary school and started an after school club for fifth and sixth grade girls. Since that time, over 20 similar clubs have begun around the country.

The GEMS Club makes the Washington Post! See page 19--commentary on women and entrepeneurs.

 News and Notes about GEMS

* GEMS in the news--March 6 

* The GEMS Clubs have been invited to participate in the Clinton Global Initiative CGI America in Chicago.

Here is the video discussing the partnership we are hoping to form:

Clinton Global Initiatives -- scroll to 1:07:52

* We contacted the creators of the Baldo comic to discuss their wonderful strip on July 18, 2011 and were pleased to be included in their focus article in Diverse Issues in Higher Education.

* Dogwood Elementary's GEMS club in the Washington Post

On this site:

You will find resources for starting your own club, research on the impact of clubs like GEMS, gender equity research, tips for teachers and parents, activities to encourage girls in math and science, and fun links for girls to explore.

Summer Resource Sheet --download and print for your girls' use this summer

Holiday Activity Sheet--use over the winter vacation. Thanks to Karin Coburn, GEMS Advisor, Fairfax County Public Schools.

 
We attended the USA Science and Engineering Festival on the National Mall in October 2010, thanks to a grant from the Mid-Atlantic GIrls Collaborative. We will be attending in 2012 thanks to a grant from the festival itself. Thank you!