ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. (WHTM) – Women in engineering aren’t talked about a lot, mostly because it’s not very common.

“Engineering and computer science are typically really male dominated, but we’re hoping to get more girls into the field and interested in the fields,” Dr. Sara Atwood, the college’s dean of engineering and computer science, said. “They’re fantastic careers and we really see women thrive in them.”

According to a study, only 11% of female high school students are interested in the engineering field. That’s compared to 24% of males.

Elizabethtown College is trying to up that 11% with its ‘Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day’ event.

“It’s better to have people who have similar experiences to you and be able to do it with them,” McCaskey senior Gertrude Jean Laurent said.

The event is in its second year. The vision of a female engineering student at the college wanted to have an outreach event is what brought it to life. Now it’s become quite popular.

“Last year we had 30 spots filled,” Dr. Atwood said. “This year we have over 75 women here.”

Red Rose Run returning to Lancaster

Those students are from ten different high schools. They got to build mechanical inchworms with LED lights, design card towers to withstand wind and perform water filtration experiments.

They got to learn from current E-Town students in the college’s Society of Women Engineers Student Section.

Close

Thanks for signing up!

Watch for us in your inbox.

Subscribe Now

This Week in Pennsylvania

“Being the only girl in my classes when I was younger, I never took it as a challenge and more as I brought a different perspective than my male peers,” junior electrical engineering student Madison Stewart said.

Now, Stewart and other women engineers are trying to shape the future for more women in engineering.

“Being more with my female peers is so important so that we all have each other’s backs,” Stewart said. “That’s a big important thing to me is that women don’t tear each other down, that we bring each other up.”

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27.