IGED Testimonials

Hear what past attendees have to say about IGED

Article written by: Clara Hunt and Ellie Martin, 2023 attendees

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. 

What advice would you give attendees?

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.

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 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.