The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville hosted more than 200 young girls during its sixth annual “Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day” Saturday, Feb. 17, in the SIUE School of Engineering building.
Girls from grades 5-8 attended the daylong event that offered exposure to the engineering field. Participants completed a total of five activities, covering the fields of civil, mechanical, electrical, industrial and computer science.
Small groups used teamwork to design and create their projects. The creative problem solving aspects of engineering were discussed and explored. The participants worked collaboratively on projects, were encouraged to ask questions and use their imagination.
Sharon Locke, PhD, associate professor and director of the SIUE Center for STEM Research, Education and Outreach, took time to visit with a group of parents during the afternoon. She addressed the hurdles that females face at different stages of the STEM pipeline, and provided strategies and resources.
One of those challenges being addressed Saturday is a lack of role models and mentors. “Parents can connect girls to women such as professors or an SWE student chapter at universities and colleges like we’re doing today,” Locke said. “They can check out engineergirl.org, a great website that showcases innovative projects, and details how young women can actively work toward becoming professional engineers.”
Locke later took the parent group for a tour of the SIUE STEM Resource Center to showcase resources available to support their children’s interest in STEM, such as robotics kits and the curriculum series “Engineering is Elementary,” where each module has a storybook about a type of engineering and hands-on activities such as designing a solar oven or designing a water filtration system.
Locke also countered those challenging peer norms that it’s not cool to be an engineer. “Parents can always connect girls to out of school learning such as the Girl Scouts, robotics clubs and summer camps like those held annually at SIUE,” she said.
“This event is wonderful for young girls, because women don’t make up a huge part of the engineering field, and we want to get the girls interested in what we do at a younger age, so they can start thinking about it before they go to college or even high school,” said Chrishawna Nash, a senior computer science major and SWE youth outreach chair. “Our goal remains the same - to encourage young women to pursue a STEM-related (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) field.”
Professional women engineers and SIUE students were on site providing support and guidance to program participants. Following the completion of each activity, the professional engineers and the SIUE engineering students offered analysis and asked the participants probing questions about the project.
Photo: SIUE School of Engineering Dean Cem Karacal (upper right) with participants at the annual Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day. Team of Volunteers (lower right) for 2018 SWE IGE Day.