How a science program teaches girls to stop doubting themselves

This post is part of Mashable’s ongoing series The Women Fixing STEM, which highlights trailblazing women in science, tech, engineering, and math, as well as initiatives and organizations working to close the industries’ gender gaps.

With patience, Emily Cruz detangled a vine with Dorito-shaped leaves from a fallen branch, unwinding it slowly and then pulling it out from the roots.

The 12-year-old and 40 other middle-school girls were working to remove what’s known as mile-a-minute vines recently from New York City’s largest green space as part of a program aimed at encouraging girls to pursue environmental science. Over the years, the fast-growing plant has elbowed its way into Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx, which is more than three times the size of Manhattan’s Central Park Read more…

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