MSU will host its 7th annual Introduce a Girl to Engineering event on Feb. 25. A number of organizations through MSU’s College of Engineering are running the event, which is open to 4th to 8th graders of all genders. Participants will have the opportunity to rotate through five different hands-on activities of their choosing, all designed to model the various fields in STEM. These activities span a wide range, from beginner coding to building lava lamps.
Host organizations hope to help children explore and foster an interest in STEM.
“When I was young, sometimes STEM was a little intimidating because it’s like, ‘Oh, I’m not good at math, I’m not good at science,’” Society of Women Engineers President Noelle Kurien said. “But in reality, there’s a lot you can grow. You don’t have to be instantly good at it to be in STEM.”
Beyond this, hosts also seek to empower the younger generation of students in their future endeavors.
“Generally women can feel a little bit intimidated in engineering, specifically, and other science and math related fields,” Women in Engineering member Abby Hurst said. “We want the participants to feel and understand that there are more people out there like them. So seeing people that look similar to them, act similarly to them, is very encouraging.”
Organizations like Women in Engineering and the Society of Women Engineers, or SWE, hope to build a sense of confidence in younger students and break down common misconceptions surrounding STEM.
“That’s kind of what we strive for, breaking the mold and changing perception,” Hurst said. “If you’re seeing that at a young age, that’s what you grow up knowing. And so if you’re seeing diversity within STEM related fields … I believe that will help to encourage and instill confidence as you get older and look at engaging with your interests.”
Though the event is open to all genders, specifically focuses on young women who may have a preconceived notion of STEM being closed off to them.
“It’s a place for girls to meet other girls, or just people, in similar fields as them,” Kurien said. “Especially in a male dominated field where it might feel like there’s not many other women around them.”
Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day is a nationwide event, originally recognized by the National Society of Professional Engineers. Since its establishment, the event has been adopted by a number of universities, MSU included.
“I feel like if my school would have encouraged us to attend these sorts of events, it would have given me more knowledge of what I wanted to do when I was older,” event chair and SWE member Paulina Sandoval said. “It wouldn’t have left me scrambling. I was a senior in high school trying to figure out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life, with my college career.”
Hosted largely by MSU students, one of the goals of the event is to inspire participants by example.
“It’s pushing kids to just keep learning … to keep their minds curious,” Kurien said. “In the future, we all need great thinkers and problem solvers, whether they be the ones that go to MSU or trade school or don’t go to school at all.”
Registration for Introduce a Girl to Engineering is currently open and can be found here.
