My Story
I was always a curious child by nature. I couldn’t stop asking questions. For those reasons, I loved what STEM had to offer: explanations and the ability to learn more. As I got older, I learned more about the STEM gender disparity. I saw the girls around me pull away from STEM in pursuit of other areas. I later read the statistics that confirmed everything I had seen with my own eyes. Around middle school, a significant amount of girls lose interest in STEM. I am very passionate about gender equality. Over the years, I have been involved in a number of STEM-related activities. The activity that sparked my interest in engineering was Future City Engineering. The objective that year was to build an age-friendly city. This opened my eyes to the impact of engineering: it can change lives and improve our quality of life. Currently, I am involved in a NASA funded Space-STEM program called LCATS (Lunar Caves Analog Test Sites). I’m really excited to introduce other girls to engineering and spark their interest!
My Project
My project will be an immersive engineering experience. Female engineers from different fields will be invited to present from local companies in and around the Austin area, such as Silicon Labs, which has already agreed to partner with me. I will use hands-on activities to demonstrate what engineers around the world are doing: advancing our technology and making the world a better place. It will also provide an outlet for creativity and curiosity to pique the girls’ interest.
The first session will focus on what engineering is, real-world examples, and the engineering process. This will set the foundation going forward. Every session will engage girls through real-world applications of engineering and fun games. During hands-on activities, the girls will use their knowledge of the engineering process in building their simulations and gadgets. My program will also help provide girls with the soft skills associated with being an engineer, including communication, teamwork, and problem-solving. We will explore the importance of having women in STEM, as well as the repercussions of not having women in STEM, such as the gender data gap.
At the end of each session, I will provide them with a list of additional online resources to further their interests. They will also get recommendations for age-appropriate books specifically targeted to inspire girls in STEM. It is important to engage girls with engineering-related activities, especially those that don’t otherwise have access. My target demographic is upper elementary and middle school aged underserved female minorities in STEM. Diversity in STEM fields generates different perspectives through gender and cultural differences and allows innovative approaches to solving challenges.