Development and Execution of a Successful Mechanical Engineering Outreach Program for Middle School Girls

Abstract

This paper focuses on the development and execution of a successful mechanical engineering outreach program for girls ages 10-13.The program featured four different hour-long hands-on mechanical engineering activities focused on robotics, biomechanics, aerodynamics and energy systems.The program was developed in partnership with the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania and the target audience was active girl scouts in grades 4-8.The hands-on activities were developed and implemented by five full-time faculty members, two of whom were female.The effectiveness of the program in promoting engineering studies to this target audience was assessed using a survey instrument.The survey results indicate that the program was extremely effective in promoting engineering to this cohort.Prior to attending the program only 9 of 57 girls were strongly considering engineering as a career, while after the program this number doubled to 18 who were strongly considering engineering as a career with another 35 potentially considering engineering as a career.