Date: March 8, 2014
Time: 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Location: Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202
Point of contact: Anne Darcy EAD31@chrysler.com and Katie Ulrich katie.ann.ulrich@gmail.com
Other info:
Description:
SWE (Society of Women Engineers) professional section of Detroit hosts 150 4th – 6th grade girls from inner city Detroit at a an all-day event called Girls Engineering Exploration (GEE). GEE is a full day event hosted at Wayne State University that allows middle school aged girls an opportunity to meet female engineers and be exposed to exciting career paths through interactive demonstrations and hands-on activities. The girls will be able to experience the creativity, innovation, and fun that goes on in the field of engineering!
GEE takes four months of planning with 18 female engineers from diverse backgrounds on the Planning Committee and 42 volunteers. In 2013, 94 girls were paired with female engineer mentors, who are able to answer any questions and give personal examples of how females can become successful engineers. They participated in four engineering activities or daylong engineering activity.
In parallel with the girls’ activities, parents and teachers attend a session of their own. They enjoy discussions on choosing engineering as a career and summer programs in which their students can enroll. The session provides a Professional Women Engineering Panel and a hands-on engineering activity to show the influencers a bit of what the girls’ would experience. Reaching out to adult influencers at the same event is a great asset for SWE because we feel that they become energized seeing their students and are armed with information, which translates into actively encouraging more students outside of our event.
The event concludes with a Steve Belliveau science show called “Getting Excited About Science” where he presents, in his high-energy style, the science behind pulleys, properties of liquids and solids, and centripetal force. Last year, we helped 94 underprivileged girls learn that they could be an intelligent and beautiful engineer one day!
Volunteer Opportunities:
1- Flex Volunteer: As a flex volunteer you will help set up, meet up with girls as they are dropped off, escort them to the mentor table, help collect and gather coats, help all girls find their mentor, help bring in pizzas at lunch time, or assist in other logistical tasks which help the event run smoothly. While the girls are working with their mentors, the flex volunteers will help in each of the different classrooms by answering questions or assisting with the science/engineering project.
2- Mentors: As a mentor you are assigned a group of 4-6 girls who are in 4th to 6th grade. You will be their mentor throughout the day. Plus we ask you follow-up with the girls with letters for the following 2 or 3 months (one letter per month). This is to offer support and encouragement. Throughout the day you will be completing fun engineering based activities. Each mentor is sent instructions before the day of the event explaining the details of each of the engineering activities.
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