Bayer is committed to fostering the next generation of innovators and farmers by supporting education in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

For the past four years, Bayer has been a supportive sponsor of the Science Symposium for Girls presented by Sacred Hearts Academy. The symposium features workshops with presenters on a wide range of topics, including robotics, marine biology, geology and much more. In addition to sponsoring the annual event, employees from Bayer Hawaii are able to present on various agriculture related topics and create hands-on activities for hundreds of students from public and private schools across the state.

This year, Bayer had the privilege of supporting not one, but two symposium events – the third annual STEM Symposium for Girls for grades nine to 12, as well as the 26th annual Science Symposium for grades five to eight.

The STEM Symposium for Girls was held on Feb. 15, for students in grades nine to 12. About 100 Hawaii high school students had the opportunity to participate in STEM based workshops and network with women professionals within the STEM field. Students were able to attend workshops of their choosing, on topics such as social media, artificial intelligence, space exploration, women’s health, and innovation in agriculture.

Bayer’s own Staci Rosenberger was the guest speaker for the “Feeding Growing World – Planting Better Seeds” workshop where she was able to educate students about the importance of breeding vegetable seed that is resistant to some of the most common and economically important plant diseases. She also talked about her career path and gave some points about how to prepare for a STEM career.

Other speakers at the STEM Symposium included representatives from Amazon Web Services, Instagram, Lockheed Martin Space Systems and Kapiolani Medical Center.

“The amount of STEM careers are doubling compared to other occupations, so it’s really important for students, particularly women since they are underrepresented, to start getting a well-rounded education in science, engineering and math,” said Staci Rosenberger, Bayer Plant Pathologist. “We need to ensure that our young female students of today are prepared to fill these occupations that are in such high demand.”

The Science Symposium for Girls was held on Feb. 22, for students in grades five to eight. Of the 21 workshops available, students had the opportunity to participate in two STEM based workshops sponsored by Bayer Hawaii, including Dig this: Investigating the mystery of Erosion! presented by Brianna Jones and Meldoy Artero, where students were able to explore the dynamics of erosion and its impact on everyday life.

Get Buggy with Backyard Bugs presented by Megan Manley, Entomologist at Bayer Hawaii, provided an interactive “tour” of the insect world where students could play with live insects, learn the difference between good bugs and bad bugs, and understand the value of beneficial insects to the environment.

“Exposure to STEM related fields really helps to further a student’s pathway to success,” said Dr. Scott Schroeder, the Head of School at Sacred Hearts Academy. “STEM fields are often the most high demand fields for young professionals. We want to be able to expose girls, both at Sacred Hearts and in the community, to those kinds of opportunities.”

To learn more about Bayer and its commitment to science education, please visit www.hawaii.bayer.us .