SciGirls Extraordinaire | Imagine That! Engineering Innovation Essay Contest

The results are in! The Imagine That! engineering innovation essay contest, sponsored by the National Academy of Engineering's "Engineer Girl" website, asked young people to consider one of three images on their site and discuss its potential purposes and function--using nothing but their imaginations and engineering creativity.

Decreasing the amount of space junk, magnetic levitation transportation, and organic light-emitting diodes, were the winning topics for the grades 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12 categories respectively. Impressed? (We were, too!) So if you're looking for a little STEM inspiration, check out the winning essays.

Behind the Scenes | Lights, Camera, Action!

It's official! SciGirls producers recently crossed out the "pre" in front of "production" and jumped in to shoot the very first SciGirls episode, right here in Minnesota. Cast and crew are busy creating some theatrical magic to show girls everywhere that STEM-related activities aren't just good for kids—they're fun, too!

So are you a little curious as to which fabulous girl-centered project is the star of the show? All we can say for sure is that in a fit of outrageous creativity, SciGirls Anna, Lacie, Norah and Clarasophia are busy engineering a gigantic puppet, which shall go pictureless until it makes its debut on May 3 in the annual parade put on by Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theater. (But the images in this post from past parades should give you an inkling of what to expect.) The girls are working with mechanical engineer AnneMarie Thomas and mentor Willis "Bow" Bowman to design a puppet that will move and shake its way down Bloomington Avenue to rush in the Spring. Good luck, girls!

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SciGirls Supporters | Engineer Your Life

Dream Big. Love what you do. These messages might not be what you'd expect from the engineering field. But while numbers of women in some areas of science are healthy, the engineering field (that tricky "E" in STEM!) continues to struggle recruiting young women for its ranks.

Engineer Your Life (EYL) is a national messaging campaign designed to reposition engineering as an exciting, rewarding career choice for young women. EYL's messages—creativity has its rewards, explore the possibilities, and make a world of difference—are all part of a national campaign designed to encourage college bound girls to explore engineering.

The Engineer Your Life Web site anchors the national campaign, and is meant for high school girls and the adults in their lives (parents, counselors, teachers, and other educators) who want to learn more about what life and work are like for engineers. Be sure to check out the ten great reasons why you'll love engineering!

Know another great engineering encouragement program for girls? Tell us about it!

SciGirls Mentors | Women's Initiative at MIT

What do designing pharmaceutical drugs and prosthetic limbs, Internet programs and gaming software, and eco-friendly buildings and clean water systems have in common? They are all jobs for engineers.

This is the message engineering students from the Women’s Initiative, an MIT student program dedicated to encouraging more women to pursue careers in engineering, deliver to girls nationwide. During the month of January, enthusiastic women from the School of Engineering at MIT travel widely, speaking with high school girls about the excitement of careers in engineering.

“We want women to know that engineering is an option for them,” says Janice Mathew, an MIT junior who is majoring in chemical engineering.

Fellow student An Vu, who studies nuclear engineering, notes that visiting engineers in her own high school helped her decide on engineering. Today, as a senior at MIT, she's glad she made the leap and likes the idea of encouraging other young women to do the same. “It’s such a fun career path with many options. We do a lot of group work and use our science, math and analytical skills to solve problems. Engineering is a chance to make a difference in the world and to help other people, and that’s the message we want to get out to these young ladies.”

Want to know more? Click here to read an article about Women’s Initiative mentors recent visit to Canyon Lake High in the hill country of Texas. Know another great mentoring program like the MIT Women’s Initiative? Tell SciGirls all about it!