A conference exploring how and why women are entering science and engineering fields in greater numbers will take place Thursday and Friday at Stanford University.

Stanford officials encourage middle and high school students, parents and teachers to attend the conference.

The "Gendered Innovations in Science and Engineering II" conference is presented by the Michelle R. Clayman Institute for Gender Research and is free and open to the public, according to Stanford officials.

The conference will begin Thursday at 10 a.m. with a welcome talk from the director of the Clayman Institute, and continue Friday at 1 p.m. with a keynote address from Myra Hart, a professor of management practice at Harvard Business School, according to the university.

In addition to speakers, the conference will feature panels discussing women's roles in computer gaming and virtual fields, as well as "Gender and the Environment" and "Women in Silicon Valley's Entrepreneurial Culture." Stanford faculty and other professors, scientists, business professionals, and experts will lead the panels, according to university officials.

Conference events will be held on the Stanford campus in the David Packard Electrical Engineering Building, Room 101, 350 Serra Mall.

— Bay City News Service