Engineers Speak Out In Hope That Girls Follow Their Lead

By John Varrasi
ASME Public Information
varrasij@asme.org

In a broad outreach program to girls being introduced this month during Engineers Week, ASME President Susan H. Skemp issued a call to ASME's female members to help raise awareness about engineering and the rewards it offers by appearing at Girl Scouts of America venues.

At press time, nearly 100 members had answered Skemp's call to take the "Introduce a Girl to Engineering" program, which includes a video presentation and hands-on design project, to Girl Scout troop meetings from February 16-22, when Engineers Week is celebrated.

"This interactive program is flexible and it can be conducted over a one- to two-hour period, depending on the needs of the local Girl Scout organization," Skemp explained in a letter that appears on ASME.ORG and was emailed to female members in December.

Program materials include a 10-minute video, "Mothers of Invention," a hands-on activity plan for a Mystery Mechanism that will earn credit toward the GS Patch for "Building a Better Future," some brochures and give-away items that can be left with the troop leader and the girls as reminders of ASME and Engineers Week.

"The success of Engineers Week each year is in the grassroots - individual engineers becoming involved in local community-based programs," Skemp wrote. '"Introduce a Girl to Engineering'" is an excellent opportunity for the women mentors of ASME to promote engineers and engineering in their local communities, and possibly steer a girl toward a career in our great profession."

Increasing the number of women who are ASME members has been a goal of the Society for several years. Currently, 4.5 percent of ASME's membership is female.

ASME and the Girl Scouts maintain a formal agreement of cooperation, which aims to improve the math and science literacy of girls and raise girls' awareness that technology-related career paths are open to them.

Although Engineers Week is targeted as the time to introduce the program, and girls are the target audience, the program's materials are neither time sensitive nor gender specific.

Participants will find contact information for their local Girl Scout troops at www.asme.org/education/precollege.

Skemp is scheduled to conduct programs with Girl Scout troops in Ohio, Washington, D.C., and Hartford, Conn., where the ASME president works as manager of advanced technology planning at Pratt & Whitney.

"Sharing our personal experiences as women in engineering with our target group of Cadette and Senior Girl Scouts in grades 6-12 will help them realize the myriad opportunities available to them in our field," Skemp's letter continued. "For example, you can discuss such topics as how you decided to become an engineer, what your educational and work experience have been, and your personal rewards from being an engineer contributing to the quality of life."

ASME is a sponsor of Engineers Week, along with other engineering societies and technical institutes. The weeklong celebration of engineers and engineering achievement started in 1951.