At the University of Arkansas members of the College of Engineering’s IEEE Women in Engineering student organization recently invited dozens and dozens of Girl Scouts to campus in order to introduce them to STEM, especially electrical engineering.
The girls had many opportunities to learn such as a hands on activity where group members showed around 50 Girl Scouts how to make wires out of Play-Doh to use for conductors to a 9-volt battery in order to power a small light. The attendees also learned that they could use the different colors of Play-Doh to change the color of the small light bulb.
The president of Women in Engineering, Sarah Martinez, an electrical engineering student, said that the main goal of the group was to bring electrical engineering and STEM to girls that may otherwise never have the opportunity.
While speaking of girls and STEM Martinez said, “I think it’s important to get younger girls involved in STEM. Traditionally, men have been the people going into STEM fields, especially ones like electrical engineering, not necessarily women or even girls in general. So, getting them introduced to it now, I think, would help diversify electrical engineering and make it relatable for younger girls.”
She added thanks for American Electric Power Company who covered the event’s costs saying, “I think it’s important for women engineers to reach out to the younger generations of women. This was a good event for that, We were able to include power in the activity and show how electricity is delivered to houses. We really appreciate their contribution and support.”
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