Middle school girls from around central Arkansas will be on the University of Arkansas at Little Rock campus on Friday, April 13, for the Girls STEM Leadership Conference organized by UA Little Rock’s STEM Education Center.

The half-day event brings together seventh- and eighth-grade girls for STEM sessions and a panel discussion led by women working in STEM fields.

Participating schools include Pulaski Academy, Quest, eStem, and Mabelvale Middle School.

The conference is the second such conference hosted this year at UA Little Rock. The first conference on March 27 served about 100 students from North Little Rock Middle School. A third conference will be held later this year.

“We’re here to promote STEM education at the university and within the school districts closest to us,” said Kent Layton, interim director of STEM Education Center.

The conferences aim to educate girls about career opportunities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Last year, the center served 400 girls.