Colorado State University is holding an engineering pathway event aimed to empower young women this Saturday, April 1.
CSU is one of multiple universities to hold Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day, hosted by the university’s Society of Women Engineers. The event will take place Saturday, April 1 from 12-6 p.m.
“Our goal is to help girls discover and explore the different disciplines of engineering through fun and educational experiments,” Breanna Novak, an organizer for the event, wrote in an email to the Collegian.
The day is a way for middle school aged girls to learn about the different disciplines of engineering, according to the society’s website. Girls will have the opportunity to meet current CSU engineering students and discover how becoming an engineer allows both the privilege and opportunity to make the world a better place.
“It is an important event because it exposes young women to Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine (STEMM) related fields that they may not have otherwise been exposed to,” Megan Andrade, registration coordinator for the event, wrote to the Collegian.
There will be two different informational sessions for the girls to attend. The day will conclude with a showing of the new movie, Hidden Figures, which highlights part of what the day is inspired to show the young girls – that women engineers can have outstanding or lasting impacts on the world.
“We hope that through this day young girls (will be exposed to STEMM fields), which historically are encouraged less frequently in young women than in young men,” Andrade wrote.
Other universities, such as University of Texas – Austin and Purdue hold a similar event. The day is inspired by Girl Day, part of a movement from DiscoverE Engineering, with a similar goal: a worldwide campaign designed to introduce young women to careers and educations in engineering.
“The event is important for campus, because it demonstrates that members of the CSU student body are actively involved in closing the gender gap that exists in STEMM fields and attempting to educate the public, as well, about the possibilities open to young women,” Andrade wrote.
Collegian reporter Rachel Telljohn can be reached at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @racheltelljohn.
