Monmouth College celebrates International Women in Engineering Day
Sunday, June 23 marks International Women in Engineering Day. The celebration promotes the work that women engineers are doing across the globe, including those close to home. For the Monmouth College community, this day has a special significance.
On campus, half a dozen young women are currently studying engineering.
“I’ve been fascinated by engineering for as long as I can remember,” Ella Goodrich ’25 of Minonk, Illinois said. “My love for math and physics naturally drew me toward it. After starting at Monmouth, I realized that engineering was indeed the perfect fit for my interests.”
Monmouth’s engineering and physics faculty contributes to the success of their students and their ability to feel comfortable in the field.
“I’m incredibly grateful for our engineering professors – they are some of the most supportive and compassionate people I’ve met,” Goodrich said. “Despite the engineering field being predominantly male, our professors ensure equality for all students and make every student feel valued.”
Among a group of several Monmouth alumnae already working as engineers are Kara Young Boyles ’95 and Kai Kraut ’93. Boyles is the city engineer for South Bend, Indiana, and Kraut owns her own engineering firm in Honolulu. Previously, she served as the deputy director of transportation services in Honolulu, a press release said.
Despite this, Monmouth physics professor Chris Fasano recognizes that there is still a long way to go. Engineering is still a very male-dominated field, and education is an important step towards changing that.
“We offer a broad education, small classes and individual attention, all of which are a way to attract more women to the field,” Fasano said. “We want them to use and develop their engineering skills and their communication skills and to be able to weigh the ethical implications of their work.”
According to Fasano, one way that the college does this is by connecting students with the outside world through conferences, research projects and similar opportunities. Students also get the chance to take part in different projects and experiences throughout their time at Monmouth.
“One of the most memorable experiences I’ve had was taking apart and reassembling an air conditioner unit,” Goodrich said. “In lectures, we were studying how they worked, and seeing it firsthand gave me a whole new perspective. I really enjoyed that hands-on experience.”
Lizzie Durfee ’26 of Arlington, Washington, was also part of that class. Another project she mentioned was drone work she’s done with Fasano, attempting to determine the carbon monoxide level at the very top of corn crops.
“The design of things has always fascinated me, so getting the opportunity to truly understand the thought behind why structures are built the way they are is fun for me,” said Durfee. “My specific focus is mechanical engineering because I get to delve into the inner workings of projects.”
One program that Monmouth offers for women interested in STEM is SOFIA, or the Summer Opportunities for Intellectual Activity program. Gianna Maughan ’25 of Oak Lawn, Illinois, was one of the participants in this program.
“I was a mentor for the 2023 SOFIA program, doing a project with Professor (Michael) Solontoi about exploring exoplanets,” she said. “It was a great experience to learn how to use a telescope and see planets, stars and nebulae. And seeing meteors streak the night sky with our naked eyes was a magical experience.”
Both Maughan and Natalie Morrow ’27 of Silvis, Illinois are considering biomedical engineering.
“The medical field has also interested me, so designing medical technology would allow me to indulge in the mechanical process while still being a part of the medical field,” said Morrow. “My plans beyond Monmouth are to go to grad school for either mechanical or biomedical engineering and then get a job in industry.”
Fasano is proud of the current group of women engineering students, which also include Noelle Faulk ’25 of Elmhurst, Illinois, and Nicole Fitch ’26 of Marengo, Illinois.
“They’re all really good, and they’re going to do great things,” said Fasano. “My fantasy would be that some of our women engineers go on to get advanced degrees and become professors, either here or just somewhere. Then they could be role models for the women students behind them. It would be wonderful for our graduates to become leaders in industry AND academia.”
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