According to Chan & Fishbein, the general public has the tendency to define engineering by a limited set of required skills – specifically, math and science. However Engineers Without Borders (EWB) have worked to counteract these stereotypes through their emphasis on the “Global Engineer,” a modern engineer with superior communication and interdisciplinary skills, a well-developed sense of social responsibility and ethics and an entrepreneurial mindset. In 2008, the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board’s changed their accreditation criteria to reflect the definition put forth by EWB. Engineering programs in universities across Canada must now provide courses that prepare their students to work in teams, communicate effectively, think ethically and sustainably, engage in entrepreneurial action and embrace lifelong learning. WEMADEIT has embraced the EWB’s definition of the Global Engineer; based on our research, we feel that this is a more nuanced definition of engineering that will be more appealing to teen girls.
We Made a Difference. We Made it Together. WEMADEIT.