Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day

Photo by woodleywonderworks

I am a strong supporter of encouraging our children to explore the fields of math and science. Latinos are terribly underrepresented in these fields, Latinas especially. Too many stereotypes are programmed into our children's heads, such as "Math is hard," or "Science is too complicated," or "Girls are not smart enough to be good at math and science." So needless to say, we do a lot of math and science around here and I am always delighted to pass on information about programs or events that encourage our youth in these fields.

For those of you in Texas...

On Saturday, February 26, 2011 from 2 to 5 p.m., the Women in Engineering Program will host another Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day (Girl Day) at the University of Texas at Austin. An international event celebrated during Engineers Week each year, the program is a way for girls in 1st through 8th grade to have fun doing grade-specific, hands-on engineering activities, meet students, professors and engineers from industry, and see what it's like to be an engineer.

Students are encouraged to build and experiment at their own pace with all of the age-appropriate activities in their specific building. There are no volunteers or guides to take students around to the activities, so parents, counselors, or teachers are expected to remain with students during the event.

You can find out more at their website, which also has a list of resources for students in K- 12.

Con mucho cariño...