Why is This Workshop Important?

Women constitute 51 percent of the U.S. population and 46 percent of the U.S. labor force. However among recent graduates (1990 and later), women represent only 8 to 9 percent of the practicing engineering labor force. While women constitute a high percentage of some science occupations - more than half of all psychologists (63 percent) and sociologists (55 percent) are women - their participation in physics and engineering remains small.

Description of the Workshop

• Twenty-two high school girls from around the country take part in an engineering workshop taught by college faculty with the assistance of local high school teachers.
• An important societal need is the development of technologies that enhance the quality of life of brain-damaged children. Consequently, the workshop theme is "Toys and Tools for Disabled Children," which focuses on developing technologies to enhance the learning activities (toys) and communication skills (tools) of disabled children.
• The girls will work with a local hospital for disabled children to identify specific needs.
• The girls will be engaged in:
  1. Bioengineering - where they are taught basic design principles and develop useful and effective toys for disabled children;
  2. Robotics - where they use a Basic Stamp computer to develop robotic techniques for communication tools for these children; and
  3. Communications - where they are taught the basics of communications, apprehension, characteristics of oral delivery, persuasive tactics in informative speaking, vocal impact and non-verbal cues by our theater arts faculty.
• The girls will also visit several research and development facilities.
• The girls will also participate in off-campus recreational trips such as the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, a picnic at a teacher’s house, and dinner at the dean’s house. Dinners with practicing women engineers from the area and after dinner lectures on topics such as bioethics are also included.
• Evening and weekend recreation activities will be included.

Admission Requirements

The 2007 Summer Engineering Workshop for High School Girls will be held July 13-25, 2008. Applicants must be in the class of 2009 or 2010 and must have completed year-long high school level math and science courses. The application materials include an application form, academic transcript, an essay, and two letters of recommendation, one of which must come from a science or math teacher.