Women have seen increased representation in engineering over the years, but a gender disparity still exists: women make up 16.7% of the engineering/architecture occupations, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The College of Engineering at the University of Nevada, Reno is working to encourage girls to pursue those careers at Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day, 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Feb. 27 at the campus.
About 90 girls from four Washoe County School District middle schools are scheduled to participate in the event, which will include activities that demonstrate engineering principles, such as building balloon hovercrafts and tissue paper bridges. Students from Dilworth, Incline, Sparks and Vaughn middle schools are participating.
“This event is about empowering girls to see themselves as innovators and problem solvers, showing them that they belong in STEM fields,” Julia Lapham, Engineering’s senior coordinator of Recruitment and Outreach, said. “By connecting them with inspiring mentors and hands-on experiences, we hope to spark their passion for engineering and encourage them to pursue careers that will make a world of difference.”
Jobs in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields are projected to grow 10.4% by 2033, at the same time that the U.S. population growth is slowing, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In a 2024 report, “Talent is the Treasure,” the National Science Foundation asserted that the United States is not producing STEM workers in either sufficient numbers or diversity to meet the workforce needs of the 21st century knowledge economy, especially if STEM talent demand grows as projected.
