MONTREAL -- Girl scientists looking to expand their knowledge are being invited to take part in a free event at the Montreal Science Centre.

According to officials, it's all part of celebrations for the UN International Day of Women and Girls in Science.

The young women will have the chance to experiment and take part in numerous interactive workshops on battery production, robot programming and living neurons.

There will also be a variety of lectures from research professors and graduate students from UQAM.

The girls will have the chance to meet and speak with women working in several scientific fields, including representatives from Pratt & Whitney, Ubisoft Montréal, Expedia, Element AI and L'Oréal Canada.

"More than twenty organizations will be on hand to share the event's objective: to stimulate the interest of young women in pursuing careers in science," the centre states.

According to Statistics Canada, women make up less than a quarter of the workforce in science and technology (STEM).

The event is free for girls aged 17 and under and takes place on Feb. 9 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.