FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 5, 2020
SOUTH32 AND SANTA CRUZ COUNTY SCHOOLS JOIN FORCES ON ANNUAL STEM SUMMIT FOR GIRLS
South32 has funded the second annual summit of TECHNOLOchicas LiFT, an after-school science,
technology, engineering, and math (STEM) program, in Santa Cruz County, Arizona. Approximately 150
middle school girls attended the summit in Nogales on March 2, where they spent a full day meeting
and learning from Latina women who have built successful careers based on their STEM skills.
The South32 ambassador to the event was Eliana Calderon, Mine and Ore Preparation Manager at our
Cerro Matoso nickel operation in Colombia, who said: “The summit is an extraordinary opportunity to
demonstrate binational support for Latina girls, and I was delighted to help inspire these young students to consider a career in STEM.”
Calderon facilitated an activity at the summit that taught the students about the concept of design
thinking, an innovative problem-solving process that helps people tap deep into creativity and
collaboratively imagine new ways to fix, build, and change the world around them.
Pat Risner, President of the South32 Hermosa Project located near Nogales, spoke to the students
about the importance of STEM skills for the mining industry and the correlation between diverse and
inclusive teams and improved safety and business outcomes.
After the event, Risner said: “We are determined to create a diverse and inclusive workplace at Hermosa and across South32. Taking a long view of the project we’re developing here in Arizona, we absolutely need to keep looking for ways to support quality education and STEM skill-building for these girls. When we invest this way, these kids don’t just come away with the skills needed in our business. They come away equipped and eager to build a better world overall, which perfectly aligns with our purpose of improving people’s lives for generations to come.”
The TECHNOLOchicas LiFT program is administered by the Santa Cruz County School
Superintendent’s Office.
ENDS
About TECHNOLOchicas LiFT
TECHNOLOchicas inspires and educates Latinas in the United States so they can see themselves as
the future creators of technology. The TECHNOLOchicas LiFT program seeks to increase the number
of middle school girls pursuing technology-related studies by the time they reach high school.
About South32
South32 is a globally diversified mining and metals company. We produce bauxite, alumina, aluminium,
energy and metallurgical coal, manganese, nickel, silver, lead and zinc at our operations in Australia,
Southern Africa and South America. We are also the owner of a high-grade zinc, lead and silver
development option in North America and have several partnerships with junior explorers with a focus
on base metals. Our purpose is to make a difference by developing natural resources, improving
people’s lives now and for generations to come, and to be trusted by our owners and partners to realise the potential of their resources. South32 Hermosa is an underground zinc-lead-silver resource located about 30 miles from Nogales which is currently being studied for development.
Media Relations
Jenny Fiore (Local)
T +1 520 419 7689
E Jenny.Fiore@south32.net
Jenny White (National)
T +44 7900 046 758
E Jenny.White@south32.net