In a bid to address the gender disparity in the field of engineering, a summer camp, known as Just for Girls, is making a difference one girl at a time. This initiative is geared towards encouraging young girls from grades 4 to 8 to pursue careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields. The camp, which is now in its third year, is run by Western Engineering Outreach and is supported by a charitable organization.
Just for Girls successfully held two sessions this summer, from July 3 to 7 and August 1 to 4, each hosting 25 girls. The camp offers a unique platform where girls can learn about engineering exclusively, fostering an environment that breaks down traditional barriers that have kept girls from STEM fields.
The camp’s instructors are undergraduate women studying STEM, serving as role models and potential mentors for the young participants. Georgia Trifon, the outreach program coordinator for equity, diversity, and inclusion programs at Western Engineering, emphasized the importance of having female instructors in the field. She said, “By providing the campers with the opportunity to interact with women in STEM, we aim to inspire them and show them that they too can succeed in these fields.”
Just for Girls offers a diverse range of activities that cover all eight disciplines of engineering: artificial intelligence systems, chemical, civil, electrical, integrated, mechanical, mechatronic systems, and software. The girls engage in age-appropriate and creative projects such as designing and testing prosthetic mermaid tails in a project titled ‘Let’s Play Mermaids’. This hands-on approach not only exposes the girls to different aspects of engineering but also allows them to explore their interests in electronics and computers.
The summer camp has had a profound impact on its participants. Isabelle Fraser and Amelia Perfetto, both aged 11 and 12 respectively, spoke highly of their experiences. Fraser expressed her excitement at the variety of experiments they conducted each day, saying, “I like that we do two experiments a day and there’s a lot of variety because we learn about different engineering disciplines.”
Eesha Sharma, a third-year Western engineering student and summer coordinator for the camp, found inspiration in the girls’ passion for STEM. She said, “Seeing these young girls so eager to learn about electronics, computers, programming languages, coding, and other aspects of engineering is truly inspiring. I wish I had such an opportunity when I was their age.”
Sharma also highlighted the need for more female representation in STEM fields and expressed hope that initiatives like Just for Girls would contribute towards achieving this goal. She added, “I am hopeful that programs like this will help contribute to this goal.”
Western Engineering has planned another camp for girls in grades 7 to 10 on Oct. 14 at the Western campus and Oct. 21 in Sarnia, Ont. More information about these camps can be found on their website.
In conclusion, initiatives like Just for Girls are crucial in bridging the gender gap in STEM careers. By providing young girls with exposure to these fields at an early age and fostering a supportive environment where they can explore their interests in electronics and computers among other things, we can inspire them to pursue careers in these fields and ultimately achieve greater gender diversity in STEM.
