Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day (Sr)

This event will be a fun day of learning all about engineering! Some highlights for the day include hands-on engineering activities, discussing careers with women engineers, and an engaging keynote speaker!

Who:
High School Students, Educators, & Engineering Professional Mentors

When:
February 20, 2026

Where:
Bartle Hall @ Kansas City Convention Center

Students & Educators

The deadline to register is has passed. Registration is currently closed.

Mentors

We are looking for STEM professionals to mentor students throughout the day and help out with activities! Mentors will be matched with 2-3 students to explore the day’s engineering activities, answer questions about what it is like to be an engineer, and inspire the students to learn more about STEM! We thank you in advance for your efforts in inspiring the next generation of engineers!

The deadline to register is has passed. Registration is currently closed.

Our Keynote speaker for IGED 2026 is Jaclyn Alcantara!

Jaclyn Alcantara holds an electrical engineering degree from the University of Miami and graduated summa cum laude from UMKC School of Law. She is an intellectual property (IP) attorney and partner at Hovey Williams, a nearly 100 year old premier law firm in Overland Park focused on patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets.

As an IP attorney, Jaclyn protects her clients’ innovations and builds their companies’ patent portfolios. She has extensive experience procuring patents for electrical, mechanical, and software technologies, particularly in the aerospace, agriculture, and manufacturing industries. She develops comprehensive IP strategies for international corporations, regional companies, new start-ups, and solo inventors, based on the unique goals and challenges they each face.

Jaclyn co-founded the annual IP Bootcamp for Diverse Students at Hovey Williams. Now entering its 5th year, the IP Bootcamp gives engineering and law students an interactive introduction to various careers in intellectual property.

Passionate about expanding opportunities for women and first-generation students in STEM fields, Jaclyn recently appeared on the popular docuseries Make48 on Roku’s This Old House Maker’s Channel, where she lended her patent expertise to teams competing in the show’s first ever Women in STEM competition.

Jaclyn is a member of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and a board member for the Association for Women Attorneys (AWL) in Kansas City. Recently named on the Missouri Lawyers Media 2025 Up & Coming list, Jaclyn has authored various articles and academic papers, including “The Impact of Implicit Bias on Female Patent Applicants in an Age of Increasingly Vague Patent Standards” for the 2019 UMKC Law Review, for which she was awarded the Candler S. Rogers Legal Writing Award.

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