The Innovation Institute (Ti2) is a leading science and engineering program for highly motivated students, ages 5-17. Ti2 seeks to ensure that young people explore and develop their capacity for excellence through demanding, respectful, and purposeful teaching and learning. Ti2 believes that students must be held to the highest expectations and provided with the educational processes and social supports for success.

CuSTEMized and Ti2 share a core belief in the power of girls to achieve transformative impacts in science and engineering. Understanding the hard data about female attrition and self-selection away from such fields drives us to seek ways to ensure that young girls see themselves as highly able to pursue learning and careers in these areas. We know that engaging with female role models and mentors regularly through informal and formal learning has a powerful impact upon a girl's belief about her capacity, interests and values. So, we work in synergistic ways to create these opportunities such as by hosting hands-on learning STEM enrichment programs and offering STEM courses targeted towards girls.

GWISE@BU volunteers with the Girls Science Club at West End House to coordinate fun, hands-on activities for elementary school girls, which will convey important concepts in diverse STEM fields. CuSTEMized and GWISE@BU collaborate to help young girls gain a better understanding of basic scientific concepts and engineering principles, get them excited about science and engineering, and encourage them to pursue future careers in STEM fields.