From Movies to a Marathon , Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day Extends its Reach.

While only 10 percent of the engineering work force is comprised of women, an estimated one million girls have been involved annually in what is considered to be the first outreach program targeting girls ever established by a single profession. The Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day campaign is designed to fit existing outreach efforts or start something new, and to promote collaboration among individuals and organizations and, now, even among nations.

During Women’s History Month in March, Engineers Week Headquarters developed and supported the first “Global Marathon For, By and About Women in Engineering.” Starting at noon EST on March 24 th, and running until noon on the 25th, at any and all times during this 24-hour period there was a conversation taking place on issues affecting girls and women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). The purpose was to draw attention to these issues and to give individuals a way to share information and experiences. The marathon combined live Internet chats and teleconferences. The event kicked off in San Francisco, California, and the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago. Throughout the marathon engineers from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Middle East , India, China, and Australia hosted sessions.

Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day 2005 was celebrated February 24. Engineers Week headquarters provides special posters and hands-on activities for local outreach and maintains an online pledge roster to report on local Girl Day programs. For the first time, the Girl Day section of www.eweek.org is now available in Spanish, thanks to a grant from Agilent Technologies, Inc. Members of IEEE’s Women in Engineering (WIE) division have translated hands-on activity materials into several languages, leading to outreach in the Middle East, India and other points around the globe.

Closer to home, Engineers Week headquarters offered slides promoting girls and women in engineering to be shown in movie theaters before feature films. Slides featured the popular Girl Day graphic and were personalized for sponsoring organizations. Ads appeared in major markets across the country including Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, D.C..

At the heart of Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day is the engineer’s passion to solve problems. Volunteers are helping underrepresented groups see opportunities in engineering. Whether or not you participate in Engineers Week/Girl Day, show your support for girls and women in engineering worldwide. Sign the online statement of support and alert others to sign. This global virtual rally – the only one of its kind - can become a symbol of turning ideas into reality for thousands of individuals.

Grand Sponsors of Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day 2005 were Agilent Technologies, Inc., and the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, Eastman Kodak Company, and Lockheed Martin.

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