Jacksonville Girls Explore STEAM Careers Early
About 150 middle school girls tried hands-on STEAM activities, from robot dogs to a hospital simulator, at FSCJ's Deerwood campus.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Secondary Education
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First Coast American Heart Association held its annual STEAM workshop for about 150 middle school girls at FSCJ's Deerwood campus on Jacksonville's southside. The daylong event, now in its sixth year, offered hands-on activities in construction, health care, transportation and other fields.
Why it matters
For Jacksonville families with middle school daughters, the workshop puts a practical door in front of careers in science, technology, engineering, arts and math that many girls never see up close. Men still make up the majority of STEAM-related careers, and the event aims to change that before high school course choices narrow.
About 150 middle school girls took part in the daylong workshop on Nov. 6, 2026, at FSCJ's Deerwood campus. The event is in its sixth year and is part of the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women movement.
The players
First Coast American Heart Association
The Jacksonville-area chapter of the American Heart Association, which runs the Go Red for Women movement and organized the STEAM workshop.
FSCJ Deerwood campus
The Florida State College at Jacksonville campus on the city's southside that hosted the workshop.
CSX
The Jacksonville-headquartered railroad company that partnered on the workshop's transportation activities.
HCA Healthcare
A major hospital operator that partnered on the workshop's health care activities.
UNF MedNexus
A University of North Florida health care innovation partner that participated in the workshop.
The details
Girls rotated through hands-on stations that included a hospital simulator, a train simulator and controlling a robot dog with an iPad. Lessons in teamwork and financial literacy ran alongside the activities, and participants were connected with women leaders working in STEAM fields. Community partners including the construction industry, a bank, CSX, UNF MedNexus and HCA Healthcare supplied the programming.
Timeline
Nov. 6, 2026: Daylong STEAM workshop held at FSCJ's Deerwood campus.
The Home Front
The workshop sits within the Go Red for Women movement, which has long centered women's heart health and now reaches girls well before adulthood. Its focus on STEAM pipelines connects to a longstanding national gap in which men dominate most science and technology careers.
If you have a middle school daughter, ask her school counselor or the local American Heart Association chapter about future STEAM workshops and summer programs. Keeping a short list of nearby STEAM-focused camps or clubs can help you act quickly when registration opens.
The takeaway
Early hands-on exposure can change which subjects a middle schooler sees as possible for her future. Watch for local STEAM events and consider bringing your daughter along when they are offered.
Further reading
For more on how schools are shaping student pathways, explore Secondary Education coverage across Jacksonville.
Source note: This article includes information reported by News 4 Jax.
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