The 17th annual Expanding Your Horizons in mathematics and science conference at MTSU on Sept. 21 gave girls a hands-on perspective of science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM fields.

Expanding Your Horizons, or EYH, is for middle and high school girls in grades five through 12. The conference informed participants about careers in math- and science-related fields.

In a “Barging Along” workshop led by Nissan-USA employees including Lisa Smith, middle school students Michelle Stone of Woodbury, Tenn., and Shianne Ashford of Liberty, Tenn., built a “barge” out of modeling clay. It held 95 small marbles before the weight eventually sank the vessel.

The event provided 25 workshops for the middle school girls. The included “CSI at MTSU,” “Navigate Your Future,” “Those Menacing Microbes” and “Nurses: The Backbone of Health Care.”

You can learn more about the event at http://mtsunews.com/2013-stem-event-brings-hands-on-learning.