Introduce a girl to engineering

Today is Introduce A Girl To Engineering Day so I thought it would be a good time to talk about it.

First things first...why is there a day for introducing girls to engineering and why should we even care if women don't go into engineering?

There is a stereotype of the typical engineer: typically a nerdy guy with a pocket protector and a slide rule...or in these days a smart phone app.

And in some ways this is true. This type of person is often attracted to engineering but there are many kinds of engineering jobs available such as civil engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, chemical engineering, software engineering, aerospace engineering and more.

Although math and science play key roles in engineering, there is also a need to be able to communicate (which is often not a male skill) and a view towards social change...also not a male strong point. Women and men do think differently and this is vital to the engineering field. And engineering can be very creative.

It's often difficult to attract women to engineering since there are so few female role models, but the only way to create more female role models is to have more female engineers. It starts with interesting girls in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). But it's up to parents to get their daughters interested in these subjects. But what if you're not interested in these subjects? It's not important for you to be interested, but for you to encourage your daughters' interests in these subjects. Check out this article on the parents' role. And here is a link to some "Girl Day" activities.

And it's not only here in the US that we have a shortage of female engineers, just check out this article from the UK.

So, spend some time with your daughters' today and introduce them to engineering. The world will thank you for it!

Interesting days

Today - Introduce A Girl To Engineering Day, Chili Day, Clam Chowder Day and Chocolate-Covered Peanuts Day

Tomorrow - Personal Chef Day, Tell A Fairy Tale Day, For Pete's Sake Day and Pistachio Day

Next Thursday - World Book Day, Cold Cuts Day, What If Cats and Dogs Had Opposable Thumbs Day, Mulled Wine Day and National Anthem Day

March 25 - Tolkien Reading Day, Pecan Day and Waffle Day Yum!