Event helps girls envision a career in science and engineering

More than 150 girls from San Diego middle and high schools came together Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015, at the Jacobs School of Engineering for Envision, an outreach event organized by the Society of Women Engineers and the school's IDEA Student Center. 

“It’s common for girls to lose interest in math and science by the time they reach high school, and the idea of entering the engineering field can be daunting due to the historical under representation of women,” said Christina Aguila, who holds the outreach chair for SWE.

“It’s because of these setbacks that we set aside a day for high school girls to explore their interests in a safe, comfortable learning environment.”

The young women toured the UC San Diego engineering laboratories, heard from faculty and industry speakers, and participated in engineering exploration and robot building activities.

Using a 6-in-1 educational solar kit, the girls had the option to build a mini-rover, dog, boat, windmill, or two different types of planes, all powered by a small solar panel.

Then, based on the interests listed on their registration forms, the participants were divided into three groups for the engineering exploration activities. One group worked on html coding, one learned about CAD and the last group helped to assemble prosthetic hands.
 

 The assembled hands were returned to Helping Hands, a company that creates the kits and then distributes the completed products to amputees.