Program encourages girls to go into engineering

RENO, Nev. (KOLO) -It’s National Engineering Week and to celebrate, local non-profit Envirolution partnered with the University of Nevada, Reno to host its first annual Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day.

UNR welcomed students from Carson Middle School and Eagle Valley Middle School. Forty-two girls participated in various engineering disciplines, from building a balloon car to learn about mechanical engineering, to building a bridge out of paper to learn about civil engineering.

“At middle school age, it’s really an important time for self-esteem, for learning...kind of deciding what we want to do next. So showing them that they are smart enough, that there is opportunities, and a vast array of opportunities...all the different kinds of engineering, its the perfect opportunity to get them excited about it” says Envirolution Programs Manager Aimee Frugoli.

Studies have shown that involving students in unique experiences early in their education fosters interest in engineering, which is the guiding principle behind this event.

“As an educator, I don’t know if there is anything greater than that, than watching your kid do something that they didn’t think they could do” says Carson City’s K-12 Science ad Sustainability Coordinator Cara Tirado.

The girls also got to tour the technology at UNR, as well as meet women engineering students who currently attend the university and learn directly from with local female engineers.

The event is dedicated to sparking interest in engineering careers and showcasing how engineering impacts the world.

“Before I didn’t think that I’d be able to do this kind of stuff but now I 100 percent believe in myself, and I wasn’t sure that I even wanted to go to college but now I definitely want to” says Shelby Taylor, a 7th grader at Eagle Valley Middle School.

“I’m really looking forward to college because of all the people around me and all the people who have inspired me,” says Nicole Bredow, 7th grader at Eagle Valley Middle School.

Envirolution’s Introduce A Girl to Engineering Day program started in 2018 in partnership with Tesla to increase the number of women employed in engineering careers as women comprise only 15% of the engineering workforce.

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