Girls just wanna have fun in engineering:
Techbridge can help you Introduce a Girl to Engineering

“Can I really take it apart? Is it all right to break it?” One of the girls in Techbridge wanted reassurance before she took apart the hairdryer before her. When she tried to figure out what made a curling iron work by taking it apart at home her mother hadn’t been too pleased. Tavy Wade and Lyn Gomes with Carollo Engineers in Walnut Creek, CA used this hands-on activity as a way to introduce the girls to engineering. The girls learned about the different kinds of engineers who help design and build hairdryers. They also discovered the joy of reverse engineering to figure out how things work. By the end of the afternoon the girls learned that household appliances like a hairdryer aren’t as complicated as they imagined and that engineering can be a very rewarding career.

Do you remember when you first knew you wanted to be an engineer? We hear from many engineers that they became interested when they had the chance to tinker. Even if you weren’t successful in putting the object back together again, the chance to try and figure out how it worked was reward enough. Techbridge gives girls the chance to experience the joy of figuring out how things work. In after-school and summer programs, Techbridge girls get to work on a variety of hands-on projects that include building telephones, soldering LED key chains, taking apart lawnmower engines, and designing green dollhouses.

Techbridge

Carollo Engineer, Lyn Gomes, introduces Techbridge girls to her work through a lesson in reverse engineering.

Chabot Space & Science Center launched Techbridge in 2000 to help increase and diversify the pipeline in technology, science, and engineering. Techbridge has directly served over 2,000 girls in primarily underserved communities in its after-school and summer programs. The program is hosted in elementary, middle, and high schools in Oakland, CA and surrounding communities.

Techbridge has a 7-year record of success in engaging girls in scientific and technical fields. The program has increased girls’ technical skills, confidence, and interest in engineering, science, and technology. Evaluation results show that girls have a better understanding of what scientists, engineers, and people who work in technology do, and these gains translate into positive impacts on girls’ career aspirations.

Role Models Make Engineering Matter
“I walked in and I knew that’s where I wanted to work.” How many girls know what product design entails let alone have it as a career goal? One of our high school girls attributes her desire to be a product design engineer to a visit to design firm IDEO three years ago. The role models and field trips that are part of the Techbridge experience have a lasting impact on girls’ career goals. They introduce girls to new career options and inspire them to want to study engineering.

Chemical, civil, electrical, mechanical, materials, biomedical, and industrial. Engineering, with its many specialties, can easily confuse rather than inspire students. As a role model you can help students make sense of engineering. You communicate information about your work and the steps needed to prepare for a career in engineering. As a role model, we encourage you to talk about how you arrived at your career choice. Sometimes it’s the personal journeys that inspire students and help them see a future in engineering.

You can also dispel the myths that students might have about engineers. You can show by example that engineers are problem solvers who use creativity to work on projects that benefit people. After meeting role models, the Techbridge girls know that anyone who is creative and interested in helping people and the environment can be an engineer.

You Can Make a Difference
National Engineers Week offers a wonderful way to help you make a difference. We have produced a resource to help you plan for National Engineers Week—Get Involved. Make a Difference. A Guide for Classroom Visits and Field Trips for K-12 Students. This guide is designed to help role models and corporations host effective classroom visits and worksite field trips.

Here are some ideas to help get you get involved in Introduce a Girl to Engineering.

  • Offer to organize a job shadow during National Engineers Week so that girls can visit your office and meet and see engineers in action.
  • Look for a local Girl Scout or Girls Inc. group and volunteer an afternoon of your time to share your personal story and lead a hands-on activity.
  • If there is a local Expanding Your Horizons program, volunteer to be a role model and lead a workshop for middle schools students.
  • Sponsor internships for high school and college students. Getting the chance to “test the waters” can help girls see that there is a place for them in engineering.
  • Buy a set of biographies of women engineers and scientists for the library at your local public school.

You can have a significant and lasting impact on today’s youth. By sharing your passion for your work you can help inspire the next generation of engineers.

Interested in finding out more about Techbridge or looking for resources to get involved in outreach for National Engineers Week in your community? Techbridge can help. We offer training for role models and partner with corporations and universities on outreach programs. We also host a summer academy that introduces our curriculum and provides tips for field trips and role model visits.

Please visit our website at www.techbridgegirls.org. Techbridge is a program of Chabot Space & Science Center. You can contact Techbridge at 510.777.9170, and Techbridge@ChabotSpace.org