There was a participant ratio of 1 girl for every 4 boys at each of the robotics tournaments I brought my team to this year. When my older son attended an engineering camp a couple of years ago I noticed the same thing. And last night at our high school’s Project Lead the Way information night, I observed a similar group of students.
Engineering has a girl problem.
The good news is, there are many organizations working to change this ratio and not only introduce girls to engineering, but help them establish fulfilling careers in the field. DiscoverE is one of those organizations.
Last year I partnered with the National Engineers Week Foundation to host a #STEMchat for their annual Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day. As in the nature of the chats, participants shared a lot of great information and resources to help girls discover a passion for engineering. (Click to read the summary.)
We’re partnering once again, but with a couple of changes.
The National Engineers Week Foundation is now DiscoverE. The name change reinforces the fact that their mission goes beyond one week. Indeed, they are a 24/7/365 resource for engineering. Sure they have great ideas for Girl Day, but they also connect educators with engineers to bring them into classrooms, sponsor Future City-an engineering competition for middle school students, provide engineering activities for parents, educators and youth group leaders, and more.
The conversation is changing, too. This year we’re taking it up a grade, so to speak. In 2014 our STEMchat will focus more on the school to career path. We’ll talk about how we support girls who have discovered a passion for engineering and support them on the road to a successful career in the field.
Join in for our Twitter chat the evening before girl day,Wednesday, February 19 at 9 PM Eastern (8 Central, 6 Pacific) using the hashtags #STEMchat and #GirlDay2014.
As always, we have a fabulous panel who will help lead the discussion. You can follow them directly as well as following the hashtags above.
- @DiscoverEOrg
- @ShermanJen, Jen Sherman of @DuPont_News. DuPont is a sponsor of EWeek 2014.
- @IEEEUSA, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, a sponsor for EWeek 2014.
- @JonesAmyK, Amy Jones is an engineer with @JohnDeere. When not working on excavators, she is a passionate advocate for #STEM education.
- @TechSavvyMama*, Leticia Barr is a former teacher and technology specialist committed to raising tech-savvy kids; she blogs at TechSavvyMama.
- @SaraFHawkins, Sara Hawkins is an attorney, robotics coach and mom to a STEM Girl. She blogs at Saving for Someday.
- @LittleTechGirl, Kris Cain is a digital lifestyle expert and blogger at Little Tech Girl.
- @ScrappinMichele* Michele McGraw is a tech lifestyle blogger at Scraps of My Geek Life.
- @JusticeFergie* Stacey Ferguson is a tech attorney, social media superstar and conference/event planner.
- @Bonggamom, Ana Picazo is an engineer and STEM advocate who blogs at BonggaMom.
- @ThienKim, Thien-Kim Lam is a tech lover who encourages her daughter’s dream of becoming a chemical engineer. She blogs at I’m Not the Nanny.
- Kim Moldofsky, also known as The Maker Mom and founder of STEMchat. You might also follow me at @STEMchat, which is my default account if I land in Twitter “jail.”
Sign up here to receive a free email reminder about #STEMchat the day before our chats, as well as news from The Maker Mom.
*These bloggers will also be joining me Sunday, February 16, live from the Future City finals in Washington, DC.
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