UniCarriers Americas Corporation (UCA) sponsored Huntley High School’s inaugural GEMS (Girls in Engineering, Math and Science) Workshop on Saturday, January 21, 2017 in Huntley, Ill. The GEMS Workshop consisted of guest speakers and activities geared toward sparking the interest of young women from Marlowe and Heineman middle schools in seeking a STEM-related career in the future. The lineup of speakers included successful women working in STEM-related fields, including two female engineers from UniCarriers Americas.

Danni Shan- Shan is an engineer for UCA. She earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Beijing Forestry University in Beijing City, China, and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh.

Huiqin Ding- Ding is a finite element analysis engineer for UCA. She has a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Wayne State University in Detroit, Mich.

The sessions guided students through several hands-on exploration activities related to a number of featured careers in science, engineering and computer lab classrooms. Many Huntley High School student volunteers and STEM teachers were on-hand to assist in the learning sessions.

“It is an honor for UCA to be able to sponsor an event that is sure to inspire and encourage young women to seek out exciting careers in the STEM field,” said James J. Radous III, president of UniCarriers Americas. “As a company that is always looking forward, we find great value in programs whose mission is to lead the youth of today into the strong engineering workforce of tomorrow.”