基思·皮尔斯

When Madelyn Burnett was in sixth grade, she 虽然t mathematics was easy for everyone. It wasn't until a teacher told her that she had extraordinary skills that she even considered following a path toward STEM (science, 技术, 工程和数学). The civil and environmental engineering major never 虽然t that years later, she would have a job as a project engineer even before graduating from bet8体育娱乐入口 in May.

"When I was in school I loved my woodworking classes and all the hands-on stuff," Burnett said. "So, to be able to work as a project engineer will be really nice because I'll be in the field and actually be able to not just look at plans, but actually see the plans and the construction process as things are being built. 我很喜欢."

Even as a child, Ashley Newman knew she wanted to be an engineer. Her father bought her an electrical circuit for her birthday one year, hoping to inspire her to pursue his path and become an electrical engineer. Though Newman didn't choose electrical engineering, her father was just as proud to see her excel in mechanical engineering. 当然, it didn't hurt that she minored in electrical engineering 技术 or that the Perry 荣誉学院 graduate managed to maintain a high-enough GPA to be a member of Tau Beta Pi, the oldest engineering honor society and the second-oldest collegiate honor society in the United States.

"It is definitely important to let girls know that STEM is an option for them," Newman said. "Girls are still underrepresented in engineering. My dad made it clear to me at a very young age that I could be whatever I wanted, whether it's engineering or something else, 没有限制. 我承认, 虽然, that he really wanted me to be an electrical engineer, 但他说我想做什么就做什么. Not all girls have a parent pushing them in that direction."

While women make up 49 percent of the college-educated workforce nationwide, 只有14%的人是执业工程师. 像许多大学一样, Old Dominion与K-12教育机构合作, as well as organizations such as the Girls Scouts of America and other girls clubs, to increase awareness and familiarize girls as young as elementary school with engineering career opportunities.

"We spend a lot of time coming up with ways to engage with girls long before they are in college,卡罗尔·康思丁说, assistant dean for outreach in the 巴顿工程学院 and 技术. “不管是通过Girl-E Day, which happens during National Engineers Week, or throughout the year when we're hosting elementary, middle and high school girls for tours and events, we want to eradicate the misconceptions about women's ability to pursue STEM careers."

Considine stresses that the importance goes beyond equality.

“女性解决问题的方式不同, 他们处理问题的方式不同, they think about how to solve problems differently,她说. “一个很好的例子就是安全气囊. The engineers that designed an airbag were men, and they didn't consider the size of women or children in cars. So, airbags cause fatalities because the men only considered the design for men."

Newman has an internship 今年夏天 with Newport News Shipbuilding and plans to return to ODU in the fall to pursue her master's degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering. Burnett begins her new job at Leebcor 服务s, an engineering construction firm based in Williamsburg, 今年夏天.

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