Elizabethtown College’s School of Engineering and Computer Science hosted more than 75 local high school students for the second annual, on-campus Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day event on Friday, Feb. 23.
“As a girl in engineering myself, I’m especially proud of this effort by Etown’s new Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Student Section to ‘Educate for Service’ on national Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day,” Elizabethtown College Dean of the School of Engineering and Computer Science, Dr. Sara Atwood said. “It’s exciting to see the tremendous growth in just our second annual offering of this event.”
Students from 10 participating schools (Penn Manor, Palmyra, Etown, Warwick, Columbia, ELANCO, McCaskey, Milton Hershey School, Hempfield, Conestoga Valley) took part in the hands-on engineering activities in various concentrations, such as environmental, computer, electrical, and civil.
Activities were led by Etown students in the College’s SWE Student Section and ranged from building mechanical inchworms with LED lights to designing card towers to withstand wind. One Blue Jay, first-year Engineering major Munia Kamal ’27, participated in the event last year as well — only as a high school student. After enrolling as a Blue Jay last fall, Kamal immediately joined SWE.
“I feel more inspired to continue with engineering after joining this club because it helps me feel like I’m playing a role in supporting the minority group of women in engineering,” Kamal said. “Being a girl in engineering means there are going to be a lot of challenges, but it also means I can have a part in changing that and providing new perspectives into engineering.”
This year, Kamal was involved in planning the event and was able to provide feedback from the previous year to elevate the experience for current participants.
Funding for the event is provided, in part, through a Lancaster County STEM Alliance (LCSA) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Learning Grant to enhance learning and training opportunities for female high school and college students.
According to a DiscoverE and Global Strategy Group research study, only 11% of female high school students are interested in the engineering field, compared to 24% of males. This event was part of a nationwide campaign to increase women in engineering fields and help close this gender divide.
Learn more about Elizabethtown College’s award-winning Engineering program.
