For the eighth consecutive year, Holland & Hart and the Holland & Hart Foundation had the honor to sponsor and participate in the 19th annual Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) conference in Northern Utah, held on Saturday, Nov. 9. The yearly conference is organized and sponsored by Northrop Grumman and focuses on familiarizing young women with the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). This year, approximately 400 young women from grades six through nine attended the conference at Box Elder Middle School in Brigham City.
The conference is structured to enable students to participate in three hands-on, STEM-related workshops, selected from 22 options. Several women from the firm’s Salt Lake City office led two different workshops, sharing their knowledge about the vast opportunities available to them through a STEM-related career and the law. As professional role models, the Holland & Hart-led workshops provided real-life career scenarios, empowering the young women with the idea that they can and do anything.
The two workshops presented this year included:
Patent Lawyer’s – You’re Supposed to Argue:
The session was set up as a mock-patent infringement case. The young women were divided into the roles of plaintiffs, defendants, and judges. Each participant argued one part of the claim for their respective client. The judges questioned the parties and made their ruling. Holland & Hart employees Mickell Jimenez, Ellie Rudolf, and Heather Robertson led this session.
Black Gold – Where is It?:
During this session, the young women made geologic maps based on the source, trap, and reservoir information. They formed an oil exploration company and drilled for oil with a $4,000,000 budget. Holland & Hart employees Angela Franklin, Cheryl Dunne, and Molly Frost led this session.
The EYH conference is held every year on the first or second Saturday in November. The Holland & Hart and the Holland & Hart Foundation also provided takeaways for the girls’ conference bags and supplies for the workshops.
More information on the Northern Utah EYH conference can be read here: Northrop Grumman Sponsors 19th Annual STEM Conference for Girls.