Introduce A Girl to Engineering Day Set for February 24 With Goal of Reaching 10,000 Girls

Leaders from both the public and private sectors have spoken loudly: We as a nation must increase the numbers of well trained and educated engineers if we are to remain competitive on the global stage.  With that urgent call as a backdrop, it becomes critical that girls and women take their place among our next generation of engineering leaders. 
 

Starting February 24, women engineers and their male counterparts will mentor and reach as many as one million girls around the country with workshops, tours, on-line discussions and a host of hands-on activities at local businesses, universities and libraries for the 10^th annual of Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day.  This year, Engineers Week puts the ‘G’ in engineering in an even bigger way and takes the annual event to new heights with its special 10 for 10 anniversary campaign, a multi-faceted effort intended to reach 10,000 10-year-old girls with positive engineering experiences. 10 for 10 launches nationally on Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day and runs for 10 weeks, concluding on May 8, Mother’s Day. National Engineers Week Foundation will collect information about events and count girls reached. All events deliver the message that a career in engineering is within the grasp of every young woman looking to play a role in addressing the issues her generation will face as it comes of age. Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day is one of the tent pole events that make up National Engineers Week 2011, February 20-26, 2011.

In addition to National Engineers Week Foundation, the organizers of the 10 for 10 initiative include National Girls Collaborative Project, Girls RISEnet/ASTC Girl Scouts of the USA, AAUW, Sci-Girls (PBS), Society for Women Engineers, Women in Engineering ProActive Network (WEPAN), and National Coalition of Girls Schools.

Raytheon Company, one of the co-chairs of National Engineers Week, has been a strong corporate advocate of engineering-focused programs that reach out to young people.

“The vision of this collaborative initiative is to broaden the way girls and young women look at engineering - to help them see the creative and relevant work that engineers do,” said Karen Peterson, Principal Investigator for National Girls Collaborative Project and CEO of EdLab Group.  “This year’s 10 for 10 campaign is particularly exciting because it leverages many powerful partnerships to reach more girls at a younger age and for a sustained period of time.”

Some of the many local activities planned for Girl Day 2011 include:

·         Miami Science Museum will celebrate the 10th anniversary of Introduce A Girl to Engineering Day on Saturday, February 26^th from 12-4 p.m. The Society of Women Engineers and Engineers Without Borders will lead activities and demonstrations on various engineering topics. There will also be informative presentations geared towards students who may be interested in engineering as a career from Irene Fraga of Fraga Engineering and Stephanie Gillespie of SWE.

·         Rockwell Collins will host 5^th - 8^th grade girls from the Meskawki Tribe in Tama and Cedar Rapids middle schools for tours, hands-on activities and one to one time with female engineers. Girls will be invited to bring along a parent or significant adult in their life in addition to their teacher(s). Adults will spend time touring labs and learning about Rockwell Collins outreach activities and how best to talk with young women about career choices and education in STEM fields.

·         At 14 company locations, ExxonMobil engineers will engage middle-school students with presentations, hands-on experiments and demonstrations.  Through site outings at ExxonMobil offices and classroom visits, more than 400 ExxonMobil volunteers will impact nearly 3,000 students. Local activities include demonstrations on how the industry uses 3D technology to search for oil and natural gas; water purification experiments; bridge-building with straws; exploring the science of manufacturing lipstick; and panel discussions with practicing engineers. 

·         The University of Texas at Austin, a WEPAN member, is holding its annual Women in Engineering Program, giving first through eighth grade students the chance to do fun grade-specific, hands-on engineering activities and interact with students, professors and engineers from the industry.  Participating Girl Scouts receive a Girl Day patch available through partnership with the Girl Scouts of Central Texas. Last year’s event concluded with an exciting interactive show from Science in the Movies showcasing the engineering and science behind movie stunts.

·         The University of Miami will bring over 100 local high school girls to campus to learn about engineering.  Activities for the day include team competitions for the students in an engineering challenge and tours of various engineering labs with active demonstrations by graduate students and professors. A professional engineer introduces the students to the real world of engineering during lunch. 

·         Siemens Industry, Inc. in West Chicago, IL will hold its seventh annual Introduce a Girl to Engineering event.  The event is for girls in 5th through 12th grade and will be hosted by woman engineers.  Girls who attend will complete fun experiments associated with different engineering disciplines.   Other highlights will include a short video about engineering and a factory tour.

·         The Women in Science and Engineering Roundtable (WISER) at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) will host middle school students from schools in the Cleveland area and visit labs in different departments in the Case School of Engineering (CSE).   In each lab, students will learn more about the research that is done there and will participate in a related, hands-on activity.  WISER students will serve as â coaches to the middle school students and will escort students throughout campus and assist with laboratory activities. The day long activities also include a pizza lunch for all middle school students, their teachers, WISER volunteers and faculty hosts and guests. 

·        The Baltimore Chapter of the Women's Transportation Seminar (WTS) is working with the Baltimore Engineers Club and has invited girls from schools in Maryland to attend its Girl Day event.   Women engineers are the featured speakers, including the current WTS scholarship winner who is attending Morgan State University and completing her civil engineering degree.  There will also be a group team building activity and an interactive lunch provided by the Engineers Club.

National Engineers Week Foundation’s commitment to girls and women does not stop with Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day.  From March 7-12, Engineers Week presents the Global Marathon For, By and About Women in Engineering and Technology, an annual worldwide forum connecting professional women, college students and girls for virtual and in-person conversations about education and careers in engineering and technology.

Visit http://www.eweek.org/EngineersWeek/Introduce.aspx to access Girl Day activities nationwide.

Major support for Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day 2011 is provided by ExxonMobil Corporation, Motorola Foundation, S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, Rockwell Collins and Agilent Technologies.  Additional support is provided by the National Science Foundation (NSF). 

About Engineers Week

The National Engineers Week Foundation, a formal coalition of more than 100 professional societies, major corporations and government agencies, is dedicated to ensuring a diverse and well-educated future engineering workforce by increasing understanding of and interest in engineering and technology careers among young students and by promoting pre-college literacy in math and science.  Engineers Week also raises public understanding and appreciation of engineers' contributions to society.  Founded in 1951, it is among the oldest of America's professional outreach efforts.  Co-chairs for 2011 are Raytheon and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).

For more information about National Engineers Week Foundation, visit www.eweek.org.

Career vs. Paycheck & Other Key Findings that Shape How We Work & Live

To understand how working moms see their shifting roles and how others see them, Working Mother magazine surveyed more than 4,600 people across the country, including working moms, stay-at-home moms, working dads and singles in the workplace. Among our findings: whether making $20,000 or $200,000, moms who view their jobs as a career—rather than just a paycheck—are more satisfied and feel more positive at work and at home. “What Moms Think: The Working Mother Report” offers surprising insights into the perceptions of both sexes. 

“I meet women all the time who think of their jobs as careers, and it doesn’t matter if they’re answering phones in a call center or running a company,” said Carol Evans, President, Working Mother Media. “This research reveals that women who embrace the long-term commitment that a career implies feel more satisfied and positive about every marker that we measured, including being ‘in balance.’ These findings have huge implications for women and the companies who rely on them.”

Among our top findings:

·        Moms who view their work as a career are happier in all aspects the survey measured—with their marriage, kids, friendships, salary, respect they command and choice to work—than women who work primarily for a paycheck;

·        Male managers are big supporters of working moms in the workplace;

·        Though moms value flex as a key benefit, men are more likely than women to have jobs that allow for flexibility;

·        Both men and women feel a deep ambivalence when wives out-earn their husbands.

What contributes to a woman labeling her work as a career versus a paycheck? It’s not her salary. According to The Working Mother Report, women feel they have a career when they:

·        Have opportunities to develop skills and advance;

·        Feel supported and respected;

·        Believe their work fulfills a higher purpose than simply making money.

“The most exciting aspect of The Working Mother Report is how actionable this is,” Evans said. “Women can examine their attitudes and shift toward careerist thinking. Companies can support women in viewing their jobs as careers with training and advancement programs.”

The Working Mother Report coincides with the 25^th anniversary of Working Mother 100 Best Companies. It was sponsored by three of the Working Mother 100 Best Companies—Ernst & Young, IBM and Procter & Gamble.

The Importance of a “Career”

Women who identify themselves as having a career are more likely than those who self-identify as working primarily for a paycheck to say that:

·        Their life is ‘in balance’; they are healthy and fulfilled;

·        They are supported in work responsibilities and respected at home;

·        Their spouses contribute more to caring for children and to at-home tasks;

·        Their work fulfills a higher or more meaningful purpose than ‘just making money.’

How Male Managers View Working Moms

The Working Mother Report reveals that male managers view working mothers highly favorably, seeing them in a better light than do working fathers and men without children. Male managers say that working moms are likely to:

·        Take on additional work;

·        Be committed to career advancement;

·        Travel for work;

·        Take stretch assignments;

·        Relocate.

“Male managers—regardless of whether they have kids themselves—are strong allies of working moms. They see how dedicated these women are to their careers,” said Suzanne Riss, Editor in Chief, Working Mother magazine. “Managers praise working moms for the quality of their work, their interest in advancing, and their willingness to take on extra work.”

Flexibility: Not Just for Working Moms Anymore

The moms surveyed said that a flexible schedule is trumped only by stability and security when they look for a new job. Yet The Working Mother Report revealed that men are more likely to have jobs that allow for flexibility, more likely to use flex without fear of retribution, and that they feel they can take time off when necessary.

Among those whose work does allow for flexibility, there is a large gap in the percentage of women (58%) and men (74%) who say flexibility has had a positive impact on their career advancement.  Working mothers are more likely than working fathers to say:

·        Part-time work is a viable option at their company (65% vs. 58% for fathers);

·        They would work part time if they could still have a meaningful career (70% vs. 63% for fathers);

·        Flexibility increases their commitment or loyalty to their organization (77% vs. 73% for fathers).

Mars vs. Venus

Women who earn more than their husbands are more likely to expect men to contribute to cooking, cleaning and caring for the kids:

·        Women surveyed were significantly more likely than men to say that domestic chores should be split down the middle (92%). But fewer than half say their spouses do their fair share. Men, in contrast, reported that they feel they are doing their fair share (68%).

The Working Mother Report revealed a deep ambivalence among both men and women about women earning more.

·        When asked in theory about the idea of their spouse out-earning them, 73% of women and 59% of men said they were comfortable with the idea of their partner earning more.

·        When women actually are the breadwinners, the comfort level drops for men from 59% to 42%.

The iPad Special Digital Edition: Working Mother 100 Best Companies 25th Anniversary, including What Moms Think: The Working Mother Report findings, will be available for free download from the iTunes store. Northern Trust sponsored this special edition.

Methodology

Walker Communications conducted this study using email blasts sent out by Survey Sampling International between June 7 and June 14, 2010 to their opt-in database.  A total of 4,606 individuals across America submitted an online questionnaire developed by Working Mother Media and Ernst & Young with input from IBM and Proctor & Gamble.

All tabulations, percentages and other calculations published in the accompanying report were compiled in accordance with established research standards.

Read the full report, What Moms Think: The Working Mother Report, here.