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HRP participates in ‘Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day’ at AJ Whittenberg Elementary

February 25th, 2014


HRP participated in the “Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day” at AJ Whittenberg Elementary School on February 20 through the Western Carolina Society of Women Engineers (SWE).

“Sharing my experiences with these students as a woman in engineering is rewarding for both me and the future of the industry,” said Susan Schlangen, Project Engineer for HRP. “The excitement from these female students to hear about my day-to-day job activities really shows how eager they are to learn what they can do through engineering and their future careers.”

The morning began with volunteers from Western Carolina SWE sitting down with groups of fourth grade female students for breakfast to talk about what it’s like to be a woman in the industry, what they get to do on the job, what they studied in college, etc. The volunteers then helped their group of students build a small bottle rocket and launched them outside.

Professionals participated in this event to inform girls of the opportunities a career in engineering can provide. HRP’s Schlangen says that many AJ Whittenberg students were already aware of the types of engineering jobs available and expressed great interest in math and science. Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day is part of a larger educational movement, National Engineers Week (EWeek), which was recognized from February 16 – 22.

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