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the girls are gonna getcha.

By allisonm on 25 Feb | 1 comment
No matter where we go, my husband is always looking up.

"So that's how they make it have an Asian feel," he said when we were at MGM Studios at Disneyworld last year. We were standing in line for The Great Movie Ride (one of our favorites, btw) and he was, of course, looking up at the ceiling above us. The attraction is a replica of Grauman's Chinese Theatre and he had an "aha" moment as he examined the way the wood pieces fit together.

 

When we were in Italy, it was nonstop looking up. In fact, I'm surprised his head didn't get permanently stuck tilted back. Arch after arch, duomo after duomo, we were both amazed at the design of these artistic structures but while I would take pictures of the church as a whole, he'd be taking close-up shots of buttresses counteracting the lateral forces of roofs or walls. This is the life of an engineer's wife.


But while I may sometimes poke fun at it, I must say that I've gained an appreciation for the math and science behind these designs. It is amazing how those concepts I learned in Physics class actually do apply to almost everything in the real world. It makes me think that maybe if I had someone influencing me then like my husband influences me now, would I have pursued a different career path?

UW women engineers

Well, two programs out of our higher-ed institutions are working to provide such opportunities. As this column explains, The UW Women's Initiative and SmartGirls (which looks like it's out of SeattleU) prove that the stereotype of engineering being only for guys like my husband is utterly untrue.


Both programs aim at gaining female interest in engineering, particularly with black and Latino girls. Through the UW Women's Initiative, women engineering students present to middle and high school girls. They encourage them to see engineering as a viable path and motivate them to take challenging math and science course in high school. True role models, these women not only show young girls that it can be done but show them in a way that creates relevance.

 

After a presentation, the program pairs students up for a hands-on experiment such as a bridge-building exercise. And as I can attest to, it's that firsthand learning that that brings those math and science concepts to life.


These programs sound fantastic!! So if anyone out there has been through one or knows more about it, please share!

 

All I know is, my hubby better watch out. The girls are gonna getcha. :)

 

Topics: Universities | Students | Science | Math | K-12 Education Reform |

Comments

Posted: Wed, 03/05/2008 - 4:57pm — Kathleen (not verified)

Just as an FYI for teachers

Just as an FYI for teachers of k-12 students - girls included - the Seattle Architecture Foundation has a wonderful hands on program looking at how people change places and places change people. It can be downloaded from their website at no charge. It is looking at the environment and structures. You can also arrange tours in Seattle that can introduce kids to structures as a follow up to the program. Even my 2nd graders enjoyed that. I was fortunate to spend 2 years on a teacher's advisory board testing the lessons as they were modified for various ages. Secondly, girls who may be interested in a career in the various maritime fields available could look into the Sea Scout programs available. Sea Scouting is a co-ed program for students 14 and end of 8th grade to 20. We happen to be involved in the program out of Tacoma even though that meant a weekly drive down from Bellevue. The kids learn to sail a 90' yawl built in 1938. They learn leadership, navigation, boat systems maintenance and operations, sailing, restoration skills, teamwork etc. The majority of the kids go on to college or vocational training which may or may not be related to the maritime field. Many of the kids go into engineering or science related fields. Our son opened his own firm as a shipwright and works on contract for Disney Studios he's now 29 and plans to restore a 1926 Danish ketch for a youth maritime program and getting a law degree in Maritime Law. If kids are interested the website is www.sssodyssey.org and she sails every Thurs. night from the Foss Waterway in Tacoma. Contact Nic @ #425-985-3584 for more info, to charter her, or whatever. My husband happens to be one of the volunteer licensed 100 ton captains. By the way, some of our girls are earning in the $60,000 range in the maritime field.