COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Nearly 100 Girl Scouts gathered at Columbia Gas Monday in a push to get more girls interested in science and technology.

The annual event is Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day.

“We want these girls to leave here today being leaders in the community and most of all, knowing that there’s a place for them in skilled trades and STEM-related careers,” Columbia Gas Community Engagement Manager Stephanie Merkle said. “Our dream is to watch girls that participated in this program walk through our doors one day as Columbia Gas employees.”

The Girl Scouts said fewer than one-third of female students study math and engineering as they get older, and only 18 percent of STEM leadership roles are held by women.

A recent Gallup Poll said male teens and young adults in the U.S. are more interested in STEM fields than their female counterparts. The survey found that many of the female respondents had a lack of confidence in their ability to excel in STEM fields.