The College of Engineering at UT has made a strong effort in recent years to attract, support, and inspire female students interested in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. Much of that encouragement starts before students even graduate from high school.
Spearheading those efforts are some of the best STEM case studies: current UT students.
UT’s Society of Women Engineers (SWE) chapter is hosting its third annual spring event, “Tomorrow’s Engineers Today,” which gives middle school girls a chance to come to campus for a day and get hands-on experience in various types of engineering.
“We started doing this two years ago as a way to reach out to girls in middle school about the opportunities they have in STEM fields, particularly engineering,” said Caroline Hill, the vice president of volunteering and outreach for UT’s SWE chapter. “The main goal is for them to have fun while learning about science and technology.”
Sponsored by Eastman, the event is scheduled to run from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 2. The cost for students is $5.
Hill said the day’s activities would take place at various locations on UT’s campus and will draw primarily from chemical, biomedical, and mechanical engineering, areas of engineering that studies have shown to have the strongest interest from women.
She said that the group had decided to add an optional free half-day event for parents so they too can learn about engineering, as both an educational field and a potential career path for their children.
“We know parents are invested in many ways in the success of their children, so we thought it would be great for them to be able to come and get information and have some questions and concerns addressed,” said Hill.
Registration for the event closes on March 25, and can be completed through the group’s event page.
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CONTACT:
David Goddard (865-974-0683, david.goddard@utk.edu)