PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Women make up only 29% of the science and engineering workforce, according to the National Science Board.
Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day at the Community College of Philadelphia is designed to change that.
Ninety girls between eighth and 12th grades are signed up for the free National Engineering Week virtual event on Thursday.
“Programs like this are designed to really capture girls as early as possible to introduce them to all of the fields that are in engineering,” said Stephanie Austin-Johnson, CCP STEM college experience coordinator.
The centerpiece of the program allows girls to talk with women who have established careers in fields like agriculture, transportation and human-factors engineering.
“The girls being able to see eight women from across the country doing a myriad of different things, from biomedical engineering to civil engineering — the hope is that it will inspire them and give them courage,” she added.
Austin-Johnson said CCP will be watching its dual-enrollment classes to see whether students in the STEM programs return to take engineering courses.