Girls Day in engineering welcomes 60 students

By CART, Inc.

(Bluefield)—Approximately 60 students from four Mercer County high schools took part in the second annual “Girls’ Day in Engineering” program at Bluefield State College, November 3. The ninth grade students from Bluefield, Montcalm, Princeton, and PikeView high schools spent time in the BSC School of Engineering Technology and Computer Science through a program arranged by event organizer Don Bury, BSC Professor of Architectural Engineering Technology, in collaboration with Mercer County Career Connections, the WomenTech Academy, high school math and science teachers and BSC Engineering Technology students.

Sheri Webb, BSC Professor of Architectural Engineering Technology provided an overview of career opportunities in engineering, detailing some of the opportunities girls have to succeed in engineering careers.  Highlights also noted some of the achievements of BSC student teams in engineering-related academic competitions.

Dr. Bob Riggins and several students discussed the design and development of the autonomous robotic vehicles built by BSC student teams during the past two years. The College’s entry won the 2008 Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition’s “Grand Challenge.”

The girls also competed for fun and prizes construct bridges assembled using toothpicks and marshmallows to realize the bridge’s abilities to support surprisingly heavy amounts of weight.

Bruce Mutter, BSC School of Engineering Technology, made introductions by observing that engineering firms are now actively recruiting women engineers because they want their perspective in designing and machining new products. “Women are real problem-solvers. They have strong organizational skills, and they handle stress well,” he said. The success of the initial “Girls Day in Engineering” program in 2007 has prompted organizers to make it an annual event. 

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