Our Corporate Communications intern Erin is guest blogging today! As a part of Engineer’s week, She did a little reconnaissance work to find out more about female engineers.

In celebration of Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day on February 21^st, and part of Engineer’s Week, we thought we would talk to a few girls who are studying to be engineers. I got in touch with a few of my friends at different schools on the East Coast and  asked them how they got introduced to the field and how they realized that engineering was for them.  Even though they all come from unique backgrounds and are studying in different states, their answers were surprisingly similar!

“I was always good at math and science and wanted to apply that knowledge in order to help other people and make a difference in the world,” said Maura Riley , who is an engineering student at the University of Virginia.

Thriving at math and science in school was a steady theme among all of our future engineers.              

“I was into problem solving,” Angelina Corrado of the University of Delaware said. Her friend, also a female engineer, agreed this aspect of the field appealed to her too.

The Common Core promotes the kind of robust, realistic, mathematical skills that are needed for female students (and their male peers) to be successful engineers.

Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day celebrations can be found over the country to promote STEM learning among female students. If your child or student is interested in math and science, problem solving, or looking into career paths, one of these events near you may be a great resource!

One of our future engineers said she discovered that engineering was for her through a shadowing opportunity.

“It started with my uncle being an engineer. When I was in high school I talked to him about what he did, and all of a sudden I became so interested in engineering,” Elizabeth Pascetta of Stevens Institute of Technology said.

Introduce a Girl to Engineering takes place over the course of one day, but it really is a movement and a great opportunity to introduce students of all ages, and genders, to engineering. For resources to celebrate engineering week, click here. And let us know what your plans are! 

Image via Argonne National Laboratory