Free Amelia Earhart Engineering Day Opens Registration for Hawaiʻi Girls

Registration is now open for the Amelia Earhart Girls in Engineering Day, a free full day program for the first 40 middle school girls from Hawaiʻi Island. The event will run from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on January 31, 2026 at Waiākea High School in Hilo. The program, established in 2012, is marking its tenth annual event and is underwritten by the Zonta Club of Hilo with funding support from Hawaiʻi County.

The day is designed to give fourth to eighth graders practical exposure to science and engineering through hands on projects and direct mentorship from women working in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. “The Amelia Earhart Girls in Engineering Day supports fourth- to eighth-graders to continue [STEM] curriculum throughout middle school and high school,” said Zonta Club of Hilo Event Chairperson Deb Lewis. Activities include building a walking brushbot and assembling kit robots that participants will create and take home.

For Big Island families the program is a low cost, high impact opportunity to introduce girls to technical skills and professional role models. Attendance is limited to the first 40 registrants from Hawaiʻi Island, and each girl must be accompanied by a parent, guardian or trusted adult for the entire day. That requirement underscores the program’s local focus on family engagement as a factor in sustaining interest in STEM through adolescence.

The event’s county backing signals local policy support for workforce development in technology and engineering fields. Early hands on experience and mentorship can strengthen the pipeline of talent that employers look for when relocating or expanding on island, and can influence education choices that affect future earnings and local economic resilience.

Organizers say registration details and contact information are included in the announcement. Families interested in signing up should act quickly because capacity is strictly limited and the event is scheduled during the upcoming school year.