It’s part science club, part mentorship program and part launchpad for the next generation of women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). But what really connects the girls inside this microbiology lab is curiosity and a community built on asking (and answering) questions.
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At Miami Dade College’s Homestead Campus, the Microbiology Girls Club is giving middle and high school girls a college-level crash course in scientific research.
The club is helping reshape a field where who asks the question often shapes what gets discovered, and for Dr. M. Nia Madison, it’s personal.
“I’m very passionate about increasing the number of women in STEM fields because women have been underrepresented in STEM historically for a long time,’ said Madison, a microbiology professor at Miami Dade College Homestead Campus and founder of the club. “The purpose of the Microbiology Girls Club is to engage and inspire girls from a young age to be interested in all STEM fields.”
For six weeks, these girls spend their summer exploring a world most people never see.
Working alongside Madison, a college professor and researcher, they examine microscopic life, grow bacteria, use college-level lab equipment and piece together the identity of an unknown microbe.
By the end of the program, what started under a microscope has grown into something much bigger. Science-focused field trips broaden their horizons before they wrap up the summer by presenting their research to family and friends.
“I’m really excited about the fact that a lot of my students go on to four-year universities, graduate school, to engage in science terminal degrees,” said Madison.
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Over the last decade, more than 400 students have passed through the program, many returning later as dual-enrollment students.
Each day blends hands-on research designed to show these girls not only how science works, but that they have a place in it and can really make a difference.
Madison said she opened the doors of her cutting-edge research lab to aspiring scientists, using mentorship as a way to diversify STEM fields.
She is a microbiologist and HIV researcher with more than two decades of research experience, extending beyond microbiology. She also mentors agricultural research students, advises the campus Garden Club and teaches sustainability.
This connection is building confidence, inspiring curiosity and creating a pipeline of future hometown scientists.
Through support from The Children’s Trust Youth Development Grant, Madison is already recruiting for the 11th and 12th annual Microbiology Girls Club programs.
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For application information, contact Madison at: [email protected]
To submit an idea for What Connects Us, email [email protected].
