Girl Day And Global Marathon: Mobilizing Tomorrow’s Engineers

Economists estimate that during the past 50 years, engineers and scientists – a mere five percent of the American workforce of 132 million – have fueled more than half of the nation’s sustained economic growth. Yet, except for the biological and social sciences, the number of degrees granted since 1985 in science and engineering has remained flat or declined. In the world, the U.S. currently ranks 17th in the percentage of the college-age population earning science and engineering degrees.

As government, educators and industry seek to reverse this trend, more and more studies point to poor performance among young people in math and science which, in turn, eliminates many of the best and brightest students from the pool of potential scientists and engineers.

A particularly onerous challenge is attracting female students. While women are 46 percent of the American workforce, they account for only 24 percent of jobs in engineering, science and technology. Nationwide, only ten percent of engineers are women.

For the past seven years, the National Engineers Week Foundation has focused on diversifying the ranks of engineering with efforts to reach young women and girls, especially during the annual Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day, this year slated for Thursday, February 22 during Engineers Week 2007, February 18-24, and in a more recent venture, the Global Marathon For, By and About Women in Engineering, scheduled for March 22 and 23.

“Girl Day,” as it’s known among engineers, is the only outreach of its kind aimed at a single profession. On February 22, and then in programs continued throughout the year, women engineers and their male counterparts reach as many as one million girls with workshops, tours, speaking engagements, on-line discussions and a host of other activities that showcase engineering as an important career option for everyone.

Girl Day’s cornerstone philosophy is its direct introduction of engineering to girls, often by women engineers. A 2005 study by the Extraordinary Women Engineers Project – a coalition of engineering associations and the WGBH Educational Foundation – found that exposure to role models is among the most effective ways to draw young women into the profession. That emphasis is a departure from typical appeals to girls that stress math and science acumen, messages shown to have little resonance with the target audience and that may, in fact, be counterproductive.

The study revealed that high school girls, instead, react positively to informative, first-person stories about how engineering makes a “difference in people’s lives” and offers a monetarily and personally rewarding career. The study also notes that since few parents, teachers, guidance counselors, media personalities, peers or others who typically influence young people understand or even have knowledge of engineering, outreach by engineers themselves is especially critical.

One corporation leading the Girl Day initiative is ExxonMobil, which hosts facility visits reaching more than 2,500 middle school students at 14 company locations, including Puerto Rico and Nigeria. "For too many years, girls and young women have been discouraged from pursuing a course of study in science, technology, engineering and math that would lead to careers in engineering and technology fields,” says Crawford B. Bunkley III of ExxonMobil’s global community relations. “Through the participation of our employees as volunteers on Girl Day, ExxonMobil is committed to showing girls that an engineering career offers opportunities to work in exciting industries, earn good money and use their talents to make a difference in the world."

“It’s wonderful to see more and more organizations and their employees, across the globe, responding so enthusiastically to Girl Day, the Global Marathon, and all aspects of Engineers Week,” says Agilent Technologies Director of Community Relations Terry Lincoln. “The outreach and efforts of all participants, and the sharing of experiences, is collectively helping to ensure a highly talented and diverse workforce poised to innovate into the future. At Agilent, we’re very proud to be a part of these programs.”

Visit www.eweek.org/site/News/Eweek/2007_nationalpledgeroster.shtml to access Girl Day activities nationwide. Major funding for Girl Day is provided by Agilent Technologies, Inc., Motorola Foundation, and the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation. Engineers Week 2007 co-chairs are the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) and Tyco Electronics Corporation.

An exciting extension of Girl Day activities comes one month later during the "Global Marathon For, By and About Women in Engineering" running continuously from Noon (EST) Thursday, March 22 through Noon (EST) Friday, March 23 at www.eweek.org. Dozens of presentations and question and answer sessions originating from points around the globe will heighten awareness of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics issues among pre-college, college, and young career women, and examine issues such as retaining women in college engineering programs and the workplace. The 2007 Global Marathon is hosted by Lenovo with additional support from Verizon Business.

In Brief: The seventh annual Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day is Thursday, February 22, 2007. Hundreds of organizations worldwide will mobilize tens of thousands of women engineers and their male colleagues to reach one million girls that day and throughout the year with direct, hands-on mentoring activities. "Girl Day" is the centerpiece of Engineers Week's annual outreach to encourage underrepresented groups to consider a career in engineering. Go to www.eweek.org/site/News/Eweek/2007_nationalpledgeroster.shtml for a list of all activities. Major funding for Girl Day is provided by Agilent Technologies, Inc., Motorola Foundation, and the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation. Engineers Week 2007 co-chairs are the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) and Tyco Electronics Corporation. Girl Day was founded in 2001 by the National Society of Professional Engineers, IBM, SWE, WEPAN, and MentorNet.

Background: The National Engineers Week Foundation, a formal coalition of professional societies, major corporations and government agencies, 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 by the National Society of Professional Engineers, it is among the oldest of America's professional outreach efforts. Co-chairs for 2007 are the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) and Tyco Electronics Corporation. For more information visit www.eweek.org.