Parents as Influencers

SWE-MN Girl Scout Patch DayOctober 11, 2014

Adult Track Agenda • 10:30 – 11:30AM Adult Influencers Presentation  

• 11:30 – 11:45AM STEM Resources Presentation 

• 11:45AM – 12:10PM Spool Racers Experiment

• 12:15 – 12:55PM Lunch with your troops

• 1:00 – 1:45PM College Admissions, STEM Activities, and K-12 Education Q&A Panel• Naomi Brill–Retired Engineer

• Doug Paulson–STEM Specialist MN Department of Education

Agenda

• Introductions• Parents as Influencers• Encouragement and Support• Skills• School Guidance• Engineering Careers• How SWE can help

Product Engineer for

Why I became an Engineer: I wanted to work with a team on creating products to help people in their life activities.

What I do that makes a difference: I manufacture brightness enhancement films used daily in LCD products or films to direct light efficiently

Introducing…Angela Statz

Software Engineering Manager for

Why I became an Engineer: I enjoyed math and science and my parents encouraged me.

What I do that makes a difference: I design an aircraft product that tells the pilot

how high and how fast the plane is flying

Introducing…Allison Pedersen

Society of Women Engineers

The Society of Women Engineers (SWE), founded in 1950, is a not-for-profit educational and service organization. SWE is the driving force that establishes engineering as a highly desirable career aspiration for women. SWE empowers women to succeed and advance in those aspirations and be recognized for their life-changing contributions and achievements as engineers and leaders.

Parents as Influencers

• Mom and/or Dad are consistently rated as the top two • Parents influence their teen’s decisions more than anyone • Most critical messages our children receive comes from what

they see and hear at home • Family is the dominant influence behind college choices and

degree plans

• Don’t underestimate the influence that you have over your daughter’s decisions!

• Your direct encouragement and vocal belief that she can do well in STEM subjects will go a long way in getting girls off to a good start

NSF, Sloan Foundation, & National Student Engagement Study

Encouraging girls interest

• Take an interest in what she is learning in science, math, tech education

• Build your daughter's technological mastery and competence by finding a way for her to use a computer regularly; and by sending her to computer camp in the summer, especially after fourth grade.

• Don't assume that she is not interested in technical things. Encourage interest by visiting science museums, buy her a subscription to Popular Mechanics or a computer magazine.

• Encourage your daughter to take advantage of volunteer opportunities, internships, and work-study programs, especially in her areas of interest.

• Encourage her to pursue new interests, take on new responsibilities, learn leadership, be part of a team effort, and build confidence.

Support your daughters

• Give games that develop math and science skills, including puzzles, board games, and building toys.

• Find television programs and movies that show positive role models for women, and discuss with them the roles of women in society.

• Take daughters into the workplace of their interest and point out the value of the work and contributions of women.

• In high school, girls begin to buy in to the notion that math and science are for boys, or that boys aren't going to want to go out with "smart girls". Parents need to be aware of what's happening and encourage them to stay involved in math and science, to keep sight of the BIG picture.

• Your direct encouragement and vocal belief that she can do well in math and science matters. Positive words will go a long way in getting girls off to a good start.

Confidence & Attitude Important

• Studies have shown that the abilities of boys and girls are the same. The difference is in attitudes and in opportunities. • Women/girls often do not take advantage of the educational

and professional opportunities that are available to them

• “There are no intellectual barriers to women seeking careers in science … we must look at the barriers that result from social values, attitudes, stereotypes, lack of role models…” - Jane Stutsman, National Science Foundation

• She can be interested in math and science AND still be as feminine as she wants to be, have just as much fun as she want, have a life full of other interests.

• Science and math don’t have to be “boring” – they can be very relevant, interesting and even entertaining.

• It can take a lot of effort to keep going if you feel you don't belong – find a female mentor to help her through these moments.

Don’t Stress About High School Courses

• Basic 4 years of Math and Science

• AP courses and Honors courses should not be pushed

• Don’t over-emphasize grades

• Better to be in band, play softball, & volunteer than graduate with credit in 4 AP courses

Your Role: Supporting Collegiate Academic Decisions

• Reasonable Course Load

• Progress that is steady

• It may take more than four years for an engineering degree

• Dropping Classes is normal

• Grades may be low in the beginning and go up in 3rd and 4th years (even for C students)

Why are girls not considering Engineering as a career choice?

• We know the issue is not one of ability or preparation. Researchers Huang, Taddese, and Walter found that girls are taking high school science and math courses at approximately the same rate as boys:

• 94% of girls and 91% of boys take biology, • 64% of girls and 57% of boys take chemistry, • 26% of girls and 32% of boys take physics, • 64% of girls and 60% of boys take algebra II.

• We believe that the problem is one of perception. Girls and the people who influence them—teachers, school counselors, parents, peers, and the media—do not understand what a career in engineering looks like and therefore don’t consider it as a career option.

The Situation in Engineering

• Gender-equity issues are common to engineering and sciences, including mathematics, physics and computer science

• What do the numbers tell us? Women currently comprise nearly 60% of all college students, but only (ASEE 2008):• 18 percent of engineering undergraduates• 23 percent of engineering master’s level

students• 21.1 percent of engineering PhD students • 12.3 percent of tenure-track engineering

faculty

The Situation in Engineering (cont.)

• Although these percentages represent dramatic increases since 1972, when women earned only 1.1% of engineering undergraduate degrees, and less than 1% of engineering graduate degrees, there has been little or no growth in the representation of women in engineering since the mid-1980s• Degrees granted to women have stagnated at between

11,000 and 13,000 annually, and represent only 1.4% of all bachelor’s degrees granted to women … a percentage that shrinks each year and is significantly lower than the 8.4% of men who earn engineering bachelor’s degrees each year

• Moreover, some apparent gains are really the result of decreasing levels of participation of men (smaller denominator)

• Source: Dept of Ed. http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d08/tables/dt08_285.asp

Undergraduate Enrollment

16

All Bachelor's Degrees Granted

0

100000

200000

300000

400000

500000

600000

700000

800000

900000

1000000

Women

Men

Engineering Enrollment

17

Engineering Bachelor's Degrees Granted

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

70000

Women

Men

Engineering Statistics

• 5% of US college students are studying engineering…

• Compared to:• 10-12% of college students in Europe• 43% of college students in China

Statistics from Dr. William A. Wulf President, National Academy of Engineering

Innovation and the Economy

• In the last 50 years, more than half of America’s sustained economic growth was created by the 5% of the workforce who create, manage, and maintain the processes and products of innovation: engineers, scientists, and advanced-degree technologists.

• As the number of jobs requiring engineering and scientific training grows, the number of students preparing for those careers remains level.

• This imbalance threatens our future economic competitiveness, our quality of life, and our national security.

Engineering Trends

• Current trends in research investment and workforce development are early warning signs that the United States could fall behind other nations, both in its capacity for technological innovation and in the size, quality, and capability of its technical workforce.

• Unless the United States maintains its resident capacity for technological innovation, as well as its ability to attract the best and brightest engineers and scientists from abroad, the economic benefits of technological advances may not accrue to Americans.

Technical Literacy

• Can a citizen be a literate adult and discuss policy without an understanding of technology?• Energy policy• Health care policy• Transportation• Economic policy• Environmental policy• Urban growth

Why Engineering?

Most Lucrative College Degrees http://money.cnn.com/2009/07/24/news/economy/highest_starting_salaries/index.htm

PayScale College Salary Report http://www.payscale.com/best-colleges/degrees.asp

Why Engineering ?

• Starting salaries for BS engineers range between $50-$55,000/yr• Women in non-traditional careers have lifetime earnings that are 150% of

women who choose traditional careers

• Engineers make huge contributions to society (roads, airplanes, medical devices, TVs, food) • Roughly half of the consumers of goods/services are female

• Women on the whole have in greater amounts the attributes and skills that make good engineers. • better communication skills• work well in teams• more democratic management styles• tend toward a more global context vs. narrowly focused

Skills needed in Engineering

Teamwork: It is practically impossible for one person to have a broad enough skill set to know all that is needed to succeed.

Critical thinking: Being able to cut through all the information and get straight to the core of the problem without being distracted. Understanding of the underlying assumptions.Scrutiny to question - how can you know that this is true? What evidence would lead you to believe that it is false?

Understanding cause and effect: Using science, math and visual models to represent what is happening and what will follow. Asking questions: "what would likely happen if...?“ “why does this…?” Use patterns and generalities to predict consequences.

Skills needed in Engineering

Empathy: All of what we do – service or manufacturing – is for others. Need to be able to see things through someone else's eyes.

Creativity: Thinking “outside the box” involves a transfer of knowledge from one domain to another domain, and sometimes a manipulation of that knowledge.

Communication: The ability to clearly state the problem, to outline the next steps and to sell your point of view.

Reframing failure: Failure is often the back door to success – it is often the best education. Overcome your self doubts and stay in the game.

“I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.”

- Thomas Edison

Engineering Degree Opens Doors

• Vast potential for growth and a wide variety of opportunities

• There are plenty of jobs, options galore

• An engineering degree gives the competitive edge: MBA, medicine, law, anything!

• Opportunities for advancement into management

• The engineering profession wants and welcomes women

Compelling Engineering Messages

• Live your life, love what you do. Engineering will challenge you to turn dreams into realities while giving you the chance to travel, work with inspiring people and give back to your community.

• Creativity has its rewards. Women engineers are respected, recognized and financially rewarded for their innovative thinking and creative solutions.

• Make a world of difference. From small villages to big cities, organic farms to mountaintops, deep-sea labs to outer space, women engineers are going where there is the greatest need and making a lasting contribution.

• Explore possibilities. Women engineers often use their skills to go into business, medicine, law, or government. An engineering education will prepare you for many different careers.

– Four messages tested the strongest among high school girls, Engineer Your Life

How SWE can Help

• Teach students that math and science is exciting through hands on activities

• Role models• Information on engineering and colleges• Scholarships• Supporting women through college and

throughout their careers• a student's self-confidence increases when she feels that someone

believes in her engineering abilities, cares about her, and wants her to be part of a community

– Women's Experiences in College Engineering (WECE) project

SWE Scholarships

• In fiscal year 2014, SWE disbursed more than 230 new and renewed scholarships valued at more than $700,000 (www.swe.org)

• SWE-Minnesota• Provide scholarships for female engineering

students attending college in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota. www.swe-mn.org/scholarships.html

• Certificate of Merit for High School girls• Present junior and senior girls who have completed at least 3 yrs

of math and science courses with distinction• Nominated by teacher or school counselor• Certificates are presented at school awards ceremonies• www.swe-mn.org/certificate-of-merit.html

Other websites of interest

• www.swe.org

• www.swe-mn.org

• www.engineeryourlife.org

• www.iseek.org

• www.bls.gov

• www.nspe.org/resources/media/resources

• www.discoverengineering.org/aboutengineers.asp

• dsc.discovery.com/convergence/engineering/engineering.html

for this presentationwww.swe-mn.org/outreach-experiments.html