GIST Gives Young Students a Boost on Technical Career Ladder

A program that opens the worlds of math and science as career paths for girls in Lakewood schools grows at Georgian Court University in Lakewood, with a $15,000 grant.

The TD Charitable Foundation supplied the donation to Georgian Court's Girls Involved in Science and Technology (GIST) program, now in its 10th year of inspiring young women to pursue higher education in technical fields.

GCU administrators say that GIST attracts 60 to 80 students each year to hands-on activities invovling chemistry, biology, forensics, physics, aeronautics, anatomy, geometry, sustainability and statistical analysis.

"Georgian Court is strongly committed to helping women advance in the fields of science, technology, and math," said GCU President Rosemary E. Jeffries in a prepared statement. "The GIST program has been very successful over the years and has life-changing potential for these students."

James Kiernan, TD Bank's Market President, added that GIST appeals to the foundation's mission goals. "Georgian Court's GIST program enables young female students to learn about science and math in unique ways and helps to inspire them about the possibilities available for women in these fields," Kiernan said.