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?

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. :)