Event Gives Girls Look at Engineering
October 01, 2013 - News Release
Allowing girls to explore opportunities in engineering will be the focus of the Go ENG Girl (GEG) event this month at the University of Guelph, tying into an international effort to open educational doors for young females.
Female students in grades 7 to 10 and their parents may take part in the free event Oct. 19 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Now in its fifth year, GEG is intended to increase women’s participation in engineering. Similar events will take place at universities across the province.
GEG coincides with the first International Day of the Girl, to be held Oct. 11. Canada and other countries will mark the day to promote equal treatment and opportunities for girls.
Prof. Andrea Bradford, School of Engineering, is organizing events at Guelph, including hands-on workshops, speakers and exhibits.
“It is really great to see participation of females in engineering, and days such as this are crucial to helping young women explore a field they may not have previously considered,” said Bradford. “This day is also helpful in revealing to parents the opportunities their daughters can explore. We have a panel discussion designed for parents where we discuss issues and career prospects.”
Caroline Charbonneau, co-op environmental engineering, will be among U of G students hosting the event.
“Engineering is such a diverse field, so we want to show young women all the exciting options they can consider,” she said. “More females are entering the field, making their mark and changing the perception of engineering as a male-dominated discipline.”
Second-year computer engineering student Shirley Javier attended a Go ENG Girl event at McMaster University in Grade 9.
“I had always been interested in math and computers, so I went to Go ENG Girl to learn more about what engineering had to offer,” she said. “GEG made engineering more of a tangible idea and helped me transition from being curious about it to considering a career in it and choosing courses in high school to satisfy university requirements.”
Javier believes that exploring the field on a campus is crucial to learning about a future in engineering.
“Engineering is a growing discipline with numerous streams; it is not a field that can be thoroughly described through a quick Google search or a small pamphlet. It is a subject that needs to be explored through events like GEG, tours of engineering facilities, and conversations with real-life engineers who have accomplished great things in their fields.”
For details and to register, visit uoguelph.ca/engineering/go-eng-girl.
U of G will host an International Day of the Girl event at Peter Clark Hall Oct. 8 from 10 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. This free event will include a talk by journalist Jennifer Hollett, workshops and video screenings.
For media questions, contact Communications and Public Affairs: Lori Bona Hunt, 519-824-4120, Ext. 53338, or lhunt@uoguelph.ca; or Kevin Gonsalves, Ext. 56982, or kgonsalves@uoguelph.ca.
