The University of Wyoming Society of Women Engineers (SWE) will host the fourth annual WOMENgineering Conference from 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 19, for Wyoming fifth through ninth grade students.
The free event -- in UW's Engineering Education and Research Building -- offers a variety of engineering workshops, free lunch and T-shirt, and guest speaker Jera Likely, the senior project engineer for Martin/Martin Wyoming. Participants will have the opportunity to meet students, faculty and professionals in various engineering fields.
"I was encouraged by many females in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) to peruse the field from a young age, and it certainly helped me choose a path," says Tessa Rodgers, the SWE vice president from Lander. "Diversifying the field is important for all parties and will create a better future in STEM education and careers."
The goal of the conference is to inspire and empower students to pursue STEM careers. The conference is open to 100 participating students.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, women are still vastly underrepresented in the STEM workforce, making up only 27 percent of STEM workers in 2019.
"Attending the SWE conference will be a fun experience for students to see how the fields of engineering work and gather hands-on experience of what their future may hold," says Courtney Rainbolt, a SWE Joint Engineering Council representative from Newcastle.
