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Go ENG Girl- Building Confidence in Young Female Engineers

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Decisions, Decisions.

If you think back to your days in high school, having to figure out your future in your last year can be daunting. Even if you’re somewhat sure of what you want to study, how do you know for sure? How do you go forward feeling confident and ready to take on new challenges? Many females who are attracted to engineering often relate their interest to early maker projects where they had the chance to take-apart and build new creations, and solve creative problems. Many also find support and guidance along the way from a parent or close family member who also has a vested interest or background in engineering.

However, not everyone has access to these opportunities, so solidifying their decision and confidence to pursue an interest in engineering can be challenging. It’s been noted that girls are often more likely than boys to think that engineering is too difficult, and lack confidence in their ability to succeed and persevere- especially so if that support system is non-existent. This is where events like Go ENG Girl come into play.

Keynote speaker Katelyn Poyntz, Manager Project Engineering at St. Michaels Hospital.

The Wonderful World of Engineering

Each year, the University of Waterloo’s Engineering Outreach Department runs an event entitled Go Eng Girl, where over 100 Grade 7-10 girls are engaged in learning all about the wonderful world of engineering and its possibilities. Engineering Outreach’s Women in Engineering branch is lead on the event and passionately believes that every girl should have the opportunity to explore her passion, interest, and options in engineering. Through the event, participants are exposed to a network of peers, families, and role models that help answer questions and demystify concerns and stereotypes.

Panelists and role models answer questions.

From keynote speaker Katelyn Poyntz, Manager Project Engineering at St. Michaels Hospital, who shared her journey through the world of engineering, to a panel of current female engineering students, the event provided participants with a network of role models and an opportunity to ask questions and get inspired. The panelists highlighted their experiences, their successes, struggles, hobbies, and inspirations. It was a great opportunity to show these young girls that the panelists are just like them.

After the panel, participants were engaged in a design challenge which gave them a small glimpse into what engineering is all about. The girls were split up into small teams where they learned about the engineering design process and worked together to solve a problem. Ultimately, the design challenge was a way to empower these young women to experiment, create, and learn the importance of teamwork, failing and perseverance.
While it’s unrealistic to expect that every girl will become an engineer, it is important to show them possibilities they never imagined and help them build the network and support system needed to pursue their passion and get that iron ring.

5 Games to Flex your Engineering Brain

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1. Mouse Trap

To win this game you take turns to build the trap and then try to spring it on your opponent’s mouse without yours getting caught! Problem solving and innovation is the key to being an engineer, and this will test your strengths in both!

2. Jenga

Jenga is a game of careful movements and calculations. Every civil engineer knows that to build the tallest structures, you need the strongest foundation. Test your tower by pulling blocks out until it can no longer stand and then build it back up to topple again!

3. Sudoku

Practice your math and logic skills with a game of Sudoku. Each line needs to contain the numbers 1-9, both vertically and horizontally, and no number can be repeated in a line. Math and engineering are partners in crime, and this is one game that will strengthen our skills in both.

4. Tetris

Tetris began as a classic video game but over time has been adapted into a board version! Fitting together different shaped boxes helps with concentration and organization, which mechanical engineers especially appreciate.

5. Operation

For all the biomedical engineers out there, Operation is the game for you! Practice your steady hand-eye coordination (and client relations!) by pulling out different pieces from your patient. Electrical engineers will also love this game, as the game contains a circuit to make the buzzing noise.

The Power of Women in STEM: Jin Yan

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Jin Yan is a postdoctoral scholar in FSU and a product development engineer in General Capacitor Int. LLC. She is also a recipient of the Amelia Earhart Fellowship from Zonta International, a fellowship that gives financial aid to women studying aerospace science. She knows the value of studying science and the importance of women being involved in the STEM field.

WESTERN ENGINEERING – ENGSQUAD

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Mentors and High school girls pose for a photo during a outing to a rock climbing gym.

Finishing high school and trying to figure out what you want to do with your future can be a scary task.

It may be that you already know what you want to do so the decision is easy, maybe you have a parent who is an engineer and inspires you, or maybe you have had some exposure to a STEM field and found the combination of creativity and innovation in engineering was right for you.

However, for many young women this isn’t always the case. That is why universities around Ontario create programs and events to give young women the opportunity to explore the wonderful world of engineering.

Western Engineering’s “ENGSquad” is one such program. ENGSquad matches female high school students in Grades 9-12 with mentors who are female undergraduate engineering students at Western University.

Over the course of a weekend girls will get to take part in engineering activities to explore how to achieve creative solutions, visit engineering workplaces to see what can be achieved with a career in engineering, and even have a taste of what it is like to attend a university when they stay overnight in a residence.

High school girls work in teams to come up creative solutions to a given challenge.

Both engineering and university can be daunting experiences, but that is why Universities across Ontario are working together to ensure that neither obstacle is too high to overcome.

For more about the ENGSquad mentorship program, visit Western Engineering’s website.

engHERO: Momina Ishfaq

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What’s one thing you wish you knew about engineering back when you were in high school?

I wish I knew about the different disciplines of engineering that exist and the accessibility of each one of them for women.

What’s your proudest accomplishment as an engineer?

In the field of demolition, it’s not only exciting to see my designs on paper at work but also very rewarding seeing my plans and work come to life as they were meant to, safely. Safety is always the first priority!

Tell me about a time in your career when your work has been about discovery or curiosity?

Becoming a structural designer in demolition was all about new discoveries and ideas when I first started, and it still is even to this day. I learned about building and designing new structures in school and am still applying the same engineering concepts and principles. But, to take those same structures down this time rather than build them up has allowed me be in a position where everyday is a learning opportunity.

What are you doing these days?

I work as a structural designer at Priestly Demolition Inc.

Do you feel your work contributes to society? How so?

Demolition contributes to society in many ways, most important being that it helps and allows for the urban development of the city. And not only just at my place of work, but all over the country. In some cases it also helps society by allowing us to maintain our history, specifically when it comes to heritage structures, while bringing everything around it to a more modern design which creates a new kind of history.

Why do we need more female engineers?

We need more female engineers to show representation and to prove to the younger generation of girls that we can all be smart, great at math, hardworking, and that they can do anything if they put their mind to it.

Do you have any hobbies/passions that give you a unique perspective in engineering?

One of my favorite things to do when I have time is travel. Being able to see all the different structures all over the world, whether that be buildings or bridges or landscapes, helps my creativity flow. If I’m lucky, I’m able take the unique designs and ideas back to work and apply them in my own way!

When you were becoming an engineer, were you nervous and stressed out about all the math and science? What made you push through and become an engineer? Were you sure that you wanted to become an engineer when you were in gr12?

The math and science aspect of engineering for me was the most nerve wracking part! Grade 12 was already tough enough and knowing it would most likely get tougher in University made me very hesitant at first. Fortunately for me, my dad, also a civil engineer, was able to encourage me and help me work through my nerves to realize that I would and could get through it if I kept a positive mind set and worked hard. Also being able to see first hand what he did in terms of his work and finding it very interesting at that age, I knew the end goal of becoming an engineer would be well worth it – and it was!

Tell us about a cool project you’ve worked on.

A cool project that I’ve worked on recently has been the Lakeridge Road Bridge demolition project. What made this project different from other bridge demolition projects was that this bridge specifically was located right on top of live CN/GO tracks. Because of this, we had to design several different types of unique and removable protection platforms to cover the tracks, some of which had to be able to withstand out machine loading, and some that had to fit in place perfectly so trains could also pass over. To top it all off, all the work was to be done in a less than a week, overnight with only a couple hours work each night. It was a blast, literally!

HOW TO: Make a Rubber Band Car

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Mechanical Engineers focus on how to make things move and work, and cars are no exception! In this activity you will be practicing motion, elasticity and mechanics. Make sure to look up Newton’s Laws of Motion after you finish to learn more about the science behind this activity!

You will need:

  1. One Toothpick
  2. Hot Glue
  3. Hot Glue Gun
  4. Five Rubber bands
  5. Scissors
  6. Straw
  7. Two 4” dowels
  8. Two 4.5” thick popsicle sticks
  9. Cardboard
  10. One-hole punch
  11. Two bolts
  12. Four nuts

STEPS:

  1. Cut the straws into four 1” pieces.
  2. Cut the toothpick into two halves.
  3. Cut out four 2” cardboard circles for wheels. Punch a hole through the centre.
  4. Fasten the remaining four rubber bands around the cardboard wheels to increase friction.
  5. Twist one 4” dowel through the centre hole of one cardboard wheel to make an axel. Repeat with the other dowel and one other wheel. Leave the other two wheels to the side.
  6. Secure the dowel to the wheel by hot glueing it together on the outside of the wheel. Repeat for both wheels.
  7. Insert two straw pieces on each dowel.
  8. Attach the remaining two wheels to the two dowels, and secure on the outside of the wheel with glue. You will now have two completed wheel-and-axles.
  9. Separate the straw pieces on the dowel to each side, and hot glue a small toothpick piece in the centre of each dowel.
  10. Hot glue one end of one popsicle stick to one piece of straw on the first wheel-and-axle, and then connect the other end to the second wheel-and-axle straw piece with hot glue. Repeat on the other side with the second popsicle stick. This is the chassis (framework) of your car.
  11. Hot glue the bolts upright on the popsicle sticks at the back of your chassis near the wheels to add weight. Add nuts as needed, depending on the size and weight of your bolts.
  12. Attach a rubber band to the front axle at the toothpick.
  13. Connect the other end of that rubber band to the back axle on the toothpick, twist it to wind it up, and then let go for it to run.
  14. Congratulations! You’ve just successfully completed a mini car.