STEM Girls Bicycle Club is a once weekly for 10-weeks club for middle school girls. The purpose of the club is to introduce girls to STEM education and to give them a chance to build, troubleshoot, make and fix their very own bicycle, all while building confidence and a strong relationship with STEM professionals from the community.

Members of the Girls STEM bicycle club are nominated and invited by their teachers. Of those nominated, 14 are selected to receive their very own brand new bicycle in a box. At the beginning of STEM bike club in March, the girls take their bike parts out of the box and put them together while sharing a work stand and toolbox with a partner. Assisting with each team are STEM coaches -- members of the local STEM community, including teachers, coaches, security guards and 10 Ford employees who are sharing information about their organization, Women in Manufacturing. As the 10-week season progresses, the girls learn about bike systems such as the fork and headseat, the gears, derailleurs and cassette, how to change a tire/inner tube, and more. At the end of the season in May, the entire group will gather for a celebration ride around PHS/PCMS campus, and through the community. After the local community ride, all Bike Club members will take their custom fit bikes to the University of Cincinnati for a campus tour ride and a luncheon along with the other 12 or clubs from the Greater Cincinnati area.

Special Thanks to the Sharonville Ford plant for the Women in Manufacturing volunteer coaches, and to the Sharonville Police Department for donating bike helmets to each STEM bicycle club member. The club is organized and funded by the Greater Cincinnati STEM Collaborative (greaterCincySTEM.org) and is funded through generous contributions from:

• Duke Energy

• ComDoc

• The Donald & Susan Pfau Foundation

• University of Cincinnati

• Patrol Bike

• The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile Jr. USbank Foundation

• GE

• Walmart Redbank Store

• Planes Commercial Services

• Bicycles & More

• Anonymous Donors

STEM Bicycle Club featured in FORD NEWSLETTER

A grant funds the STEM Bicycle Club, which consists of all female students who partner with Ford Motor Company female mentors.