Gearing 4 Engineering

Engineering Expos

Expo participants will choose an engineering based prompt and either design a solution or create a presentation on it. This hands-on learning approach provides participants with enough structural support to build their confidence in engineering while also allowing them to use their creativity.

The Story Behind The Project

Hello! My name is Abigail, and I am the publisher of this website. Currently, I am in 11th grade and I am an Ambassador Girl Scout. This website is a part of my Gold Award Project.

My passion for engineering started a couple of years ago when I took my first engineering class in high school. I enjoyed it very much and learned a lot! However, I also noticed, that t 90% of my classmates were boys. A similar story repeated in the several following engineering classes. I couldn't understand why so few girls would sign up for such an interesting subject. I did some research on this and found out that despite living in the 21st century, only 17%-21% of engineers are female, according to the American Association of University Women.

Many young girls are deterred from fields like engineering due to old gender-based stereotypes, such as the misconception that boys are best at STEM subjects or that math and science are too difficult for girls. Math and science knowledge is vital to solving engineering problems.

An experiment at a local charter school confirmed these concerns. When students were asked to visualize various careers, including an engineer, only 15-20% of students from grades 1-5 drew a female engineer, and those who did were girls.

My Gold Award project aims to address these societal stereotypes and encourage girls to pursue a career in engineering.