IGED Testimonial
On February 24th 2023 girls in engineering all around the Kansas City area were given the opportunity with their school to come to IGED day. That stands for Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day. IGED, put on by SWE-KC and supported by the KCStem Alliance, provides girls a wonderful opportunity to meet with, and learn with other girls about the field of engineering. Since the engineering field is male dominated with about 14% of all engineers being women. This means that we need more women in the engineering field, so what better way to do it then get them all together? This was the 14th annual, Introduce A Girl to Engineering, which is for high school students. It was a wonderful event to attend in order to learn more about engineering, and hear from other women mentors. There were lots of activities that they planned for us, many activities and the lessons they taught us and we wanted to share with other girls who did not have the same opportunity.
A good opportunity that was available at Introduce a Girl to Stem Day was the Industry and College fair. This gave us a chance to learn more about colleges and ask questions to these college students. Not only that, but we were able to pick up lots of pamphlets from colleges like University of Missouri, Missouri State University, and Missouri University of Science and Technology. We were able to learn lots about not only what these colleges provided, but what they were like from people that went to that college. One common piece of advice that was given from almost all the experts from these colleges was to ¨schedule a visit,¨ to make sure that you like the college. They said that when you go there you will be able to know whether it's right for you based off the people you see and what you think of the way it looks. You don't want to spend years of your life at a college that you didn't know you don't like. The second part of the Industry and College fair was the Industry part of it. Here we got to talk to different organizations like the KC Stem Alliance, Burns & McDonnell, and Society of Women Engineers. We learned more in depth about what these different industries do, and what you would do if you worked there.
After going through the Industry and College fair we went to the Engineering Discipline Fair. Here, there were a bunch of tables set up for different types of engineering. Not only that, but there were other women engineers over there that you could ask about what kind of engineering they did. For example I talked to Patty Daughterly who we learned was a Quality Engineer. An example of what a quality engineer does is someone who would be in charge of “a part that was supposed to have four holes, but only came in with three,¨. We also got to learn more about more general types of engineering such as Civil, Electrical, Environmental, Aerospace, Mechanical, and Chemical. From the women experts at these tables we learned what it takes to be that engineer, and what they do daily. One of the best parts about this opportunity was that it was not a guided tour, so you can spend more time at tables with parts of engineering that you are interested in pursuing. Some of those tables even had examples or models of things you might engineer.
One of the most important parts of engineering is not the final product but how you are able to get there. We were led more in depth of this process by creating a catapult collaborating with mentors and other students at our tables. Through a set of criteria and constraints we were able to design, buy, build and test our catapult all within 25 minutes. Every group had access to the same materials, however the amount of each object and which ones people chose to leave out created hundreds of designs throughout the groups. When testing the final products every group had access to three different projectiles which affected their abilities in accuracy and precision.
We also got to hear from Sarah Khan, a structural engineer who graduated from Missouri University of Science & Technology. Sarah taught us an important lesson through her keynote speech, which was all about how ¨you have this metaphorical toolbox that you carry with you always, and as you have experiences throughout your life, whether they are good or bad, you are creating these metaphorical tools that you put in your toolbox,¨ which you can use whenever you need them. We learned that it is important to understand these tools because then you can take them out and use them. Some examples of tools that are good to gain so you can use them are confidence and leadership. Both of these would be used for the rest of your life, especially as you pursue a career in engineering. These tools can be gained by doing things just like coming to Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day. She encouraged these young women to continue putting themselves out there and learning more. You don't have to know exactly what you're going to do, just ¨Build your toolbox, fill it with things that make you better. It might not be things that you're proud of, but they will be things that make you better, and things you can use in the future. I don´t know what your path is going to look like, and neither do you, but I encourage you to build that toolbox, build your network and see where it takes you.¨ Hearing all this information from a woman in the engineering field was moving, especially because she was sitting exactly where we were 10 years ago. This just really showed everyone that if you work hard on your goals and fill your toolbox, you can accomplish anything.
We were introduced to four girls who were pursuing engineering from colleges across the Midwest. Through a series of questions we were able to ask a spectrum of questions that covered all aspects of the college experience of an engineering student. Multiple students took part in clubs that their schools offered to not only have more experience in the engineering field but also to have more fun. These clubs consisted of concrete canoe clubs, which helped introduce students to the civil discipline. However others partook in clubs that didn't necessarily line up with their majors however they were able to explore more of their interest. These clubs can consist of game clubs where you play games sorting from chess to monopoly. Others choose to partake in sororities where they are able to connect with other girls of the same interest and grow their skills in communication. Another important question that was asked was “how does studying affect the lifestyle of a college student?”. All students shared their experiences, however the common theme was, it depends on the situation. Many stayed in their dorms to study when they would have had opportunities in sororities or other clubs to be more involved. However they all put an emphasis on finding balance, there will be many times where in the short term you may regret not going to a social event but many graduating seniors agreed that they were glad they stayed in, especially when they were not confident in the upcoming quiz or exam.
To conclude, we are both very thankful for this wonderful opportunity that the KC Stem alliance has provided us with. We were able to learn more about the engineering world as a whole, and the importance of more women within that engineering field.
A good opportunity that was available at Introduce a Girl to Stem Day was the Industry and College fair. This gave us a chance to learn more about colleges and ask questions to these college students. Not only that, but we were able to pick up lots of pamphlets from colleges like University of Missouri, Missouri State University, and Missouri University of Science and Technology. We were able to learn lots about not only what these colleges provided, but what they were like from people that went to that college. One common piece of advice that was given from almost all the experts from these colleges was to ¨schedule a visit,¨ to make sure that you like the college. They said that when you go there you will be able to know whether it's right for you based off the people you see and what you think of the way it looks. You don't want to spend years of your life at a college that you didn't know you don't like. The second part of the Industry and College fair was the Industry part of it. Here we got to talk to different organizations like the KC Stem Alliance, Burns & McDonnell, and Society of Women Engineers. We learned more in depth about what these different industries do, and what you would do if you worked there.
After going through the Industry and College fair we went to the Engineering Discipline Fair. Here, there were a bunch of tables set up for different types of engineering. Not only that, but there were other women engineers over there that you could ask about what kind of engineering they did. For example I talked to Patty Daughterly who we learned was a Quality Engineer. An example of what a quality engineer does is someone who would be in charge of “a part that was supposed to have four holes, but only came in with three,¨. We also got to learn more about more general types of engineering such as Civil, Electrical, Environmental, Aerospace, Mechanical, and Chemical. From the women experts at these tables we learned what it takes to be that engineer, and what they do daily. One of the best parts about this opportunity was that it was not a guided tour, so you can spend more time at tables with parts of engineering that you are interested in pursuing. Some of those tables even had examples or models of things you might engineer.
One of the most important parts of engineering is not the final product but how you are able to get there. We were led more in depth of this process by creating a catapult collaborating with mentors and other students at our tables. Through a set of criteria and constraints we were able to design, buy, build and test our catapult all within 25 minutes. Every group had access to the same materials, however the amount of each object and which ones people chose to leave out created hundreds of designs throughout the groups. When testing the final products every group had access to three different projectiles which affected their abilities in accuracy and precision.
We also got to hear from Sarah Khan, a structural engineer who graduated from Missouri University of Science & Technology. Sarah taught us an important lesson through her keynote speech, which was all about how ¨you have this metaphorical toolbox that you carry with you always, and as you have experiences throughout your life, whether they are good or bad, you are creating these metaphorical tools that you put in your toolbox,¨ which you can use whenever you need them. We learned that it is important to understand these tools because then you can take them out and use them. Some examples of tools that are good to gain so you can use them are confidence and leadership. Both of these would be used for the rest of your life, especially as you pursue a career in engineering. These tools can be gained by doing things just like coming to Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day. She encouraged these young women to continue putting themselves out there and learning more. You don't have to know exactly what you're going to do, just ¨Build your toolbox, fill it with things that make you better. It might not be things that you're proud of, but they will be things that make you better, and things you can use in the future. I don´t know what your path is going to look like, and neither do you, but I encourage you to build that toolbox, build your network and see where it takes you.¨ Hearing all this information from a woman in the engineering field was moving, especially because she was sitting exactly where we were 10 years ago. This just really showed everyone that if you work hard on your goals and fill your toolbox, you can accomplish anything.
We were introduced to four girls who were pursuing engineering from colleges across the Midwest. Through a series of questions we were able to ask a spectrum of questions that covered all aspects of the college experience of an engineering student. Multiple students took part in clubs that their schools offered to not only have more experience in the engineering field but also to have more fun. These clubs consisted of concrete canoe clubs, which helped introduce students to the civil discipline. However others partook in clubs that didn't necessarily line up with their majors however they were able to explore more of their interest. These clubs can consist of game clubs where you play games sorting from chess to monopoly. Others choose to partake in sororities where they are able to connect with other girls of the same interest and grow their skills in communication. Another important question that was asked was “how does studying affect the lifestyle of a college student?”. All students shared their experiences, however the common theme was, it depends on the situation. Many stayed in their dorms to study when they would have had opportunities in sororities or other clubs to be more involved. However they all put an emphasis on finding balance, there will be many times where in the short term you may regret not going to a social event but many graduating seniors agreed that they were glad they stayed in, especially when they were not confident in the upcoming quiz or exam.
To conclude, we are both very thankful for this wonderful opportunity that the KC Stem alliance has provided us with. We were able to learn more about the engineering world as a whole, and the importance of more women within that engineering field.
Sponsors
Go to our IGED Sponsorship page to learn more about how to sponsor our IGED events.
Highlights from Previous Events
IGED started in 2011. To view details about all of the past annual events, go to our IGED Previous Events page.
Resources
Go to our IGED Resources page to find various resources to help you explore engineering!
Contact Us
For all questions and concerns, please contact us at kc.iged@gmail.com
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