SWE 2014

SMART GIRLS ROCK!

In Your Community

Lea Bouton

Education:

B. A. Chemistry - University of San Diego

M. S. Engineering Management - Old Dominion University

M. A. Teaching - University of Alaska Anchorage

Experience

7 years U. S. Navy, certified Nuclear Engineer

5 years teaching chemistry & engineering at A. J. Dimond High School

Chelsea O’Connor

Education:

B.S ME- Iowa State University

Experience

3M Project Engineer - St. Paul, MN

Katherine Kaspar Education:

A.A.S Mechanical Drafting

B. A. MechE – University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN

Experience

7 yrs Automated Machine Design

6 yrs 3M Manufacturing Engineer

Quotes from Katherine…

“Our first SGR! went very smoothly! It was a great experience by all.”

“Having the program piloted in Alaska first, and with all of the prework we were able to use, we pulled the program together in 5 months.”

“Getting sponsorship and recruiting volunteers was the most challenging aspect.”

Session framing

How many of you knew an engineer when you were growing

up?

How many of you have or had a mentor?

How many of you are interested in helping young women

develop a passion for engineering?

What will this session provide to you?

Template

• Offer you an exciting & successful outreach template that can be easily replicated in your local community.

Guidance

• Help you to encourage female students to pursue an education & career in engineering.

Inspiration

• Inspire you to want to develop a similar event in your area.

Video

Smart Girls Rock! Video

Research Studies Support SGR!

“Mentoring gives

students a

chance to

realistically view

their career

options.”

"When girls meet other girls

who like science, they see

that it's okay to be good at

science. In the company of

girls who share their

interests, they challenge

stereotypes and make

science the "in" thing to do

in school.“ “The most effective way to encourage girls in the sciences

is to create meaningful interactions between girls and

role models in a wide variety of careers."

Event Overview

11:30

• Distribute schedule / goody bags

• Ice-breaker activity

• Welcome comments & group picture

Noon • Speed-mentoring sessions

1:30

• Lunch & thank you notes

• Raffle drawing for door prizes

• Closing comments

Outreach “In-a-Box”

Student packets distributed (individual schedules, sample Q&A, etc)

Ice-breaker sample idea

Speed-mentoring stations (including stations about scholarships, posters, iPad engineering apps, and various engineering discipline mentors)

Lunch / snack / beverage suggestions

Raffle information

Thank-you concept

Student survey

Follow-up essay / scholarship award

Fund raising letter template

Student selection ideas

Volunteer coordination letters

Planning timeline

Art work / logo

Student invitation

• Select date

• Create a general plan

Oct/Nov

• Make donor requests

Dec • Call for

volunteers

• Media invitations

Jan

• Begin weekly planning mtgs

• Send invitations

Jan - Feb • Order

food

• Goody bags

• Print schedules

Feb

Planning overview

It only takes 5 months to plan your next event!

Keys to success

Mentors

Teachers

Admin / School District

Engineer

Students

Media for community awareness Local university partnership Industry alliances for financial support

Student feedback

“I feel like I really know

my options now & am

more likely to pursue a

career in engineering”

“I thought engineers just

sit at their desk & design,

but I learned that

engineering is in fact, a

creative career”

“Talking to many female

engineers & getting to

hear about their jobs was

eye-opening”

“Thank you for showing me the

different fields you can go in

engineering. I now want to be a

chemical engineer ”.

“Thank you for all that you

have taught me in the short

time. Before I came here, I

wanted to go into the

medical field but now I am

considering engineering!”

“I am very grateful to

have been a part of this

amazing event. Thank

you!”

“This event opened

my mind to my

future”

“This event helped me to

understand what steps I

should take in school to

pursue engineering in the

future”

“Thanks for providing us

with a great way to learn

about different career

opportunities in

engineering”

“You made

engineering

sound fun”

“All the women

engineers were so

inspiring”

“Although I’m not really

sure that I’ll be an

engineer, thank you for

helping me understand

more”

No matter….

… you can make a

difference

Your discipline

& career…

Where you work & live…

“The most difficult

thing is the decision

to act, the rest is

merely tenacity. The

fears are paper

tigers. You can do

anything you decide

to do.”

~ Amelia Earhart

Closing

Acknowledgements

Video Editing:

3M Video Editing Suite- Leader Michael Yungers

Video Editors: Amelia Koenig, Chelsea O’Connor, Brianna O’Neal

Schools Developing Future Women Engineers: Dimond High School - Anchorage, AK

Eagle Point Elementary School - Oakdale, MN

Menomonie High School - Menomonie, WI

Peoria Academy - Peoria, IL

3M Corporate Support:

3M Alaska, 3M St. Paul, 3M Menomonie

3M Human Resources: Rhonda Graves & Dawn McGinley

Backup Questions – if none from audience

What was your biggest obstacle to getting the word out about the program to the high schoolers?

Did you have any difficulty finding mentors?

Do you offer incentives to the volunteers?

Do a lot of girls who complete this program end up enrolling in the engineering academy as a result of the workshop?

How many girls are in college in Engineering that have gone through this program?

How do you pick a school to start a program like this if you don't have an existing relationship with any staff members?

Did you think about adding a parent component to this program to inform them about careers their daughters could have in engineering?

What if your community doesn't have a Project Lead the Way school? Can you do this program at a school that doesn't have an engineering academy?