Girls in Engineering: February #STEMchat

I’m thrilled to be working with the folks at the Engineers Week Foundation to bring attention to Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day, part of the larger National Engineers Week celebration.

Engineers Week takes place February 17-23, with a special focus on girls in engineering on February 21. Our chat on Wednesday night, February 20 will kick things off.

As the mom of STEM-loving boys, I’ve noticed that many programs that naturally draw them in tend to include few, if any, girls. We need to change the conversation to include and excite girls about STEM topics. Angela Maiers has great suggestions along this line in her piece at Huffington Post. Research indicates the importance of exposing girls to female role models with STEM careers and reinforcing girls’ ability to learn, grow and meet challenges.

According to E Week supporter Barbara Rusinko, “In the US, women account for nearly 60 percent of college students, but fewer than one in five of these women are engineering students.” Yikes.

Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day is an important initiative to help girls learn more about engineering and find those crucial role models and mentors. National Engineers Week has useful Girl Day information and resources, including some in Spanish. Find a 2013 Girl Day event near you, share some bling on your blog, read related books and join us to share your best ideas and favorite resources at the #EweekGD #STEMchat on Twitter Wednesday night, February 20, at 9 PM Eastern!

The February #STEMchat will be also be using the hashtag #EweekGD” (E Week, Girl Day).

Our fab panel will include:

Jennifer Wright, @RocketScientist, a Lockheed Martin engineer, STEM mentor, world traveler, and #NASASocial alum.

DeeAnn Turpin, @BioEnggCat13, a member of 2011’s inaugural class of New Faces of Engineering, College Edition and student of Biological Systems Engineering at Kansas State University.

Sara Hawkins, @Saving4Someday, is a STEM-loving mom to one precocious tween girl who loves all things STEM, violin, glitter, tape, and making.

Leticia Barr, @TechSavvyMama, is a mom of 2 elementary aged children who uses her experience as a former teacher and technology specialist for a large DC Metro to champion STEM learning in her own kids while providing tips for her TechSavvyMama.com readers on integrating STEM topics at home. She also shares tech savvy goodness at her Tech Savvy Parents column on Parents.com.

Shelly Kramer, @ShellyKramer, is the founder + CEO of V3 Integrated Marketing. She is a brand strategist serving clients in both the B2B and B2C space. She’s also the mother of four daughters and passionate about STEM education and opportunities for girls.

Kelly Whalen @CentsibleLife, is a blogger, social media consultant, and tech-loving mom of four kids, some of whom are active in the VEX robotics league.

Join in on Twitter next Wednesday, February 20 at 9 PM Eastern, 6 Pacific for the #EweekGD #STEMchat!

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to receive a #STEMchat reminder the day before the chat. 

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