“For us, we enjoy sharing what we have learned and helping others develop interests in fields we feel passionate about. “Giving kids hands-on experiences helps them learn and introduces them to a potential future career,” she said. “There’s a lot of interest and we hope to do more where possible.” “We’ve been contacted about off-site visits to schools to lead small experiments and talk about the STEM fields,” said Nelson. UNESCO produced a cutting-edge global report entitled Cracking the Code: Girls’ and women’s education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), mapping the status of girls and women in STEM education and identifying the factors hindering and promoting their participation, achievement and continuation in STEM fields. “This coming year we hope to host a Girl Scout Patch Day on the University’s campus in conjunction with the CEMS (Chemical Engineering and Materials Science) Women’s Group.”Įven more outreach is on the horizon. “The highlight of last year’s Patch Day was helping to build a bio-dome from rolled newspapers,” Nelson said. They also participated in SWE-Minnesota’s Girl Scout Patch Day where Girl Scouts performed a variety of experiments to earn a merit patch reflecting what they have learned. Elementary and middle school students, families, and educators are invited to join us for FREE hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fun on. SWE members partnered with the Science Museum of Minnesota in a “Girls and Science” event that introduced science concepts, including Non-Newtonian fluids and chemical reactions, to elementary and middle school students. With nearly 300 high school students and their parents in attendance last year, SWE members presented the various fields students can study in CSE, conducted experiments and demonstrations, hosted a Q&A panel for parents, and shared their experiences as women pursuing engineering degrees. In addition to participating in the CSE Expo, the group conducts a number of outreach activities throughout the year-the largest being “See Yourself in CSE” and “Technically Speaking” in partnership with CSE Admissions. Our organization was created with the concern that Black-American girls and young women are not choosing STEM related careers, and our passion is to change. “With this quick and easy project, we showed how creativity opens up a new world of opportunities.” “It’s a simple, but exciting demonstration that kids can see and relate to,” said Maggie Nelson, a CSE student and SWE’s outreach director. "We enjoy sharing what we have learned and helping others develop interests in fields we feel passionate about." Once connected, it created a small robot that moved randomly around the area. We need to move perceptions away from the dirty, boiler-suited, male-dominated stereotype and to the reality that a career in Engineering is not fixing engines, but can be about addressing some of the biggest challenges faced by society - renewable energy, providing clean water access, advancing healthcare provision, space exploration - this is the career that is accessible and students, particular female, should be encouraged down this path.As one of the larger Society of Women Engineers (SWE) student chapters across the country with approximately 45 active members, the University of Minnesota’s chapter participates in a number of outreach activities to boost the number of young women in the science and engineering fields.Īt the CSE Expo, 22 SWE members showed middle schoolers how to make a Brush Bot, which involved attaching the head of a toothbrush to a small motor. Paul McKnight from VEX Robotics agrees, "There is a huge misconception about what an 'Engineering' career really is - particularly among parents. The VEX IQ Challenge and the VEX Robotics Competition both fully support the involvement of parents in supporting and mentoring teams, giving these key influencers an insight into what engineering can be. A higher percentage of females also reported that participation in VRC made them want to learn more about robotics and made them more interested in wanting to take Maths or Science classes in school and college. 83% of students also became more interested in taking an engineering course at University. 92% of students wanted to learn more about robotics and 90% more about engineering following involvement. UAH is excited to bring back Girls in Science and Engineering Days (GSED) to the Rocket City GSED is a day of hands-on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) activities designed for girls in the 3rd and 4th grade in the morning and 5th and 6th grade. Independent research has shown that involvement with the VEX Robotics Competition (VRC) positively impacts students' interest in STEM.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |