GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD

ERIN REILLY
Entrepreneur
Zoey's Room
Rockland, ME
Cable System: Time Warner Cable

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While Zoey's Room may sound like the name of a pre-teen sitcom, it is actually an after-school program designed for girls ages 10 to 14. Co-created by Erin Reilly with Vinitha Nair, Zoey's Room is a national online community that encourages girls to expand their knowledge of science, technology, engineering and math (STem) and other 21st century skills. ZoeysRoom.com is the only character-driven website designed to introduce or re-engage young girls with STem using a "culturally savvy, cool tech community." Girls log on to receive one-on-one access to Zoey who chats online with girls every day and encourages them to try online challenges.

As a recognized expert in the design and implementation of thought-provoking and engaging educational content powered by virtual learning and new media applications, Reilly developed Zoey's Room as a way to encourage more girls to study math and science and to explore careers in such areas. While women represent 47 percent of the workforce, they represent only 27 percent of the technology workers and 12 percent of science and engineering jobs. To address this fact, Reilly believes it is imperative for girls to stay interested in science and math throughout school in order to develop into women with successful STem careers. When they join Zoey's Room, girls get to participate in Tec-Treks, which provides hands-on, interactive online and offline activities that expand their knowledge of a range of 21st century skills. For example, through Zoey's Room, girls are introduced to STem concepts like robotics, nanotechnology, environmental science and business math. They have access to female role models working in these fields through bi-weekly chats featuring such guests as a volcano seismologist, NASA's leading food technologist, fashion designers and installation artists using technology.

"I have heard from numerous after-school program leaders that girls who participate in Zoey's Room are more confident than other students, and in a recent evaluation of the website, 52 percent of girls said that because of Zoey's Room they are more interested in science, technology, engineering, and math." Erin Reilly