Chicago Section, under an IEEE STEM Champions Grant participated in Futures Unlimited a program of the Center For Promoting STEM at Oakton College.

Girls from several north and northwest side schools participated in a workshop on the importance of soldering, and more importantly how to solder at Futures Unlimited held at Oakton Community College and partially underwritten by a IEEE STEM Champion Grant,

827 eighth grade girls participated in a program to introduce them to the possibility of STEM careers. Connie Kelly, LSMIEEE, Director Elect 2023-2024, and Steve Peters, SMIEEE, Northwest Subsection Chair, worked with almost 80 of these girls to teach them about soldering.

Steve Peters, SMIEEE, Northwest Subsection Chair, demonstrates to the students how to use a soldering iron.

Using Elenco AK-100 How to Solder kits, they learned about circuit boards, components, and hot to make good solder connections. At the end of the workshop they got to keep the soldering iron, wire clippers, and their circuits. assisted by members of the Oakton Student Branch, the girls learned about the practical uses of knowing how to solder. There was a lot of enthusiasm for learning a new skill and several of the girls said they could see things they could fix at home by soldering.