The Program Development Grant (PDG) Committee provides opportunities for SWE groups to receive money to host outreach and professional development events. This is the next in a series of articles to showcase the great events sections are hosting leveraging their PDG grants. For more information on the grant process please check out the PDG website.
The Mystery Design outreach event put on by the University of Central Florida collegiate section saw 24 attendees and 10 volunteers participate in 3 building workshops and a Q&A in a 4.5 hour event held on October 24th, 2020.
The purpose of the event was to inspire young girls and show the importance of STEM within their educational and professional life.
By the end of the event, participants were able to gain a better understanding of different types of engineering and how it is all around us. They were also able to ask the college volunteers why they chose to be an engineer. The participants were so excited to show off their creations to each other and their parents. They wanted to show their friends how they made it and what else they could possibly do. They were able to see themselves in our shoes.
Workshop 1: Lip Balm:
They were able to create something which they can use and show off to others whilst being proud of their creation.
Objective 1: This workshop demonstrates Chemical and Sales Engineering by showing the young girls that things they didn’t believe are engineering, actually are.
Workshop 2: Gumdrop Toothpick Bridge:
They were able to understand trusses and the general use of forces in physics along with the importance of materials.
Objective 2: This workshop demonstrates Civil and Mechanical by showcasing real-world examples of civil engineering and the importance of choosing materials when building things.
Workshop 3: Ping Pong Launcher:
They were able to understand projectile motion along with the idea of kinetic motion with how the resistance in a rubber band works.
Objective 3: This workshop demonstrates mechanical and aerospace engineering by showing how a small-scale model can be adjusted into a larger real-life application.
This event fulfilled SWE’s strategic goal of professional excellence by showing young females how they can succeed in STEM whilst having fun. They were able to connect their passion with one of the various types of engineering showing that they can further their education to make passions into professions.
