On, Jan. 23, a group of Wesleyan female students went on a trip to visit the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology. While there, they went to The Georgia Tech Women in Engineering Conference. This event helped to educate women who are interested in pursuing a career in engineering and excite them about their future in math and science. It was a great learning experience for women who are interested in a career that is generally thought of as a male-dominated career. Freshman Harris Browder said, “I think as our world progresses it is and will become easier for all women to lead in men’s role in the workplace.” Many Wesleyan students went and learned about all the different types of engineering. Sophomore Mackenzie Maxwell said, “My favorite part of the trip were the activities we did. It was a great way to get a hands-on experience and learn more about engineering.”
While on campus, students explored the possibilities in becoming an engineer through interactive activities, tours, and advice from women engineers. Students enjoyed activities including a wind turbine experiment, a specialized tour for one individual type of engineering and a tour of the Georgia Tech campus. Science was incorporated in the lesson to show the women that engineering is both useful and fun. Maxwell said, “It was a great way for me to explore different types of engineering as I begin to think about my future in college.” Many women who work in the engineering field also came up to speak about their experience in the STEM field. They also spoke to the students about the variety of job opportunities that came with getting an education in engineering. Freshman, Claire Wyatt, also went on this field trip and voiced her opinion on the importance of women becoming engineers. Wyatt said, “I think that it is important to have women in engineering because everybody brings different views, ideas, beliefs and solutions to the table. Nobody has all of the answers, and I think that having both men and women in engineering helps to create different ideas and solutions.”
The teachers leading this trip also had a great time educating these young women on the importance of women in STEM careers. Anna Myrick, Georgia Tech Alumna and high school science department chair said, “I would say [the program] piques the interest of students in learning about careers that they may not have realized connected back to science.” Georgia Tech, the fourth best undergraduate engineering program according to U.S. News & World Report, values the significance of their Women in Engineering program. They created the conference so that high school students can learn about a career in engineering before having to make a decision on their major in college. Wesleyan has been leading this trip for four years now and will continue to lead it as the interest of engineering for women only continues to increase. Overall, the Women in Engineering program is very beneficial to young women at Wesleyan, and it helps the students to make connections and learn more about their love for STEM.
