Hi everyone,
Wow! Time has truly gone by so fast these past few months. I hope you learned a little more about how gender stereotypes within engineering are quickly changing in today's progressive society. However, above all of the data and interesting articles, I hope that you enjoyed the journey that this project was for me :)
I want to say a special thank you to Dawn, the President of MJS. Thank you for opening your doors to me and for letting me take up a spot on your team for the past few months. It was an honor working at your company with people that were so driven and kind!
Thank you to Chuck Chase, my on-site advisor. Thank you for pushing me when it came to the projects that you gave me. I'm not going to lie, I doubted my abilities a few different times with some of the tasks that you gave me but the fact that you had no doubt about me being able to do it gave me a glimpse of hope in the face of oncoming adversity. While I know that the path down a career in engineering is not going to be easy, you helped me to see that it is possible. Thank you for your support and for your confidence in abilities I didn't even know I had!
I also want to thank Stacy. Thank you for helping me gain my footing and for helping me whenever I had questions (which was pretty often! :) ). Thank you for signing my time sheets every week and for always getting my the most up to date information so I didn't feel lost! I appreciate your guidance through this process!
Lastly, thank you to the team, thank you so much for letting me shadow you around. Thank you for showing me what you do in a day. Everyone that I worked with loved their job which made learning such an easy process because everyone truly wanted me to walk away having learned a new lesson! Thank you for your encouragement and for the fun laughs that we shared!
Thank you everyone! I look forward to seeing all of you tomorrow for my final presentation!!
Friday, May 5, 2017
Presentation Preparation!!
Hi everyone!
I thought it might be nice to give you a glimpse into my life the past few days. In addition to work, I have been working to get my presentation to the best final product!! This includes my powerpoint, my poster, and my final product. In my last post, I talked a little bit about my LED ring final product. Thus, in this post, I wanna take you down the little journey of making my poster.
For me personally, posters have always been a joy for me. I love the opportunity to be not only professional but creative!! For this poster, I wanted to approach it in a very specific and different way. For the panels of my project, I decided to make two timelines. The left panel is dedicated to an individual's life; looking into the things that influence them at different ages and how these mentalities can be seen in university and career level statistics. On the other panel, I decided to focus on a historical timeline of women in engineering. I wanted to answer questions like:
Who are some of the most influential women in the STEM fields?
What caused engineering to shift towards a desirable career path for women?
In what way is the increased number of females in STEM reflective of the shifting standards in society? How does this correlate to more males staying at home and more males entering female dominated fields like nursing and cosmetics?
And lastly, I wanted to look at how companies are CURRENTLY treating females in the field.
The middle portion of my trifold has an interactive activity in addition to photos from my internship. Below, there are photos of my trifold making process (including the removable sticky notes that I used to map out my poster.. haha, yes I have mild OCD).
Making the poster has been a change to take the things I have learned and the events I attended and transform them into a visually appealing manner for everyone to easily digest! Come see my poster on May 6 to see the final product (not shown below ;) )
I thought it might be nice to give you a glimpse into my life the past few days. In addition to work, I have been working to get my presentation to the best final product!! This includes my powerpoint, my poster, and my final product. In my last post, I talked a little bit about my LED ring final product. Thus, in this post, I wanna take you down the little journey of making my poster.
For me personally, posters have always been a joy for me. I love the opportunity to be not only professional but creative!! For this poster, I wanted to approach it in a very specific and different way. For the panels of my project, I decided to make two timelines. The left panel is dedicated to an individual's life; looking into the things that influence them at different ages and how these mentalities can be seen in university and career level statistics. On the other panel, I decided to focus on a historical timeline of women in engineering. I wanted to answer questions like:
Who are some of the most influential women in the STEM fields?
What caused engineering to shift towards a desirable career path for women?
In what way is the increased number of females in STEM reflective of the shifting standards in society? How does this correlate to more males staying at home and more males entering female dominated fields like nursing and cosmetics?
And lastly, I wanted to look at how companies are CURRENTLY treating females in the field.
The middle portion of my trifold has an interactive activity in addition to photos from my internship. Below, there are photos of my trifold making process (including the removable sticky notes that I used to map out my poster.. haha, yes I have mild OCD).
Making the poster has been a change to take the things I have learned and the events I attended and transform them into a visually appealing manner for everyone to easily digest! Come see my poster on May 6 to see the final product (not shown below ;) )
Final Product!
In preparation for my presentation, I've been working mainly on my poster and my visual presentation (more to come on that). However, I also spent the conclusion of my internship working on a final product that I can have at my presentation and to turn in. Now, if you haven't already please take a moment to read the blog on the Adafruit LED Ring.
While that blog gives you an overview of the coding behind my final product, this post is geared towards the hardware end of things.
To actually write and program the code I used a program called MPLab. It is a basic program that anyone can download off the internet and it helps teach you about the coding process. The program itself was very basic which was nice given I was someone new to coding. The picture below shows you what my screen would have looked like.
After the code is written, it (in overly simplified terms) gets sent to a device named "pickit3" which is also a product available on the internet. This takes the data and converts it into a readable language for the microchip.
After that, some magic (just kidding... coding and engineering) makes the LED ring light up in the way you specified in the code.
Below is a photo of what this set up looks like!
The most challenging part of this project was the coding. However, another learning opportunity arose when we needed to find a data port on the microchip. I had to use the schematic and data sheet to find a single pin (out of 100 options) that fit the needed requirements. Not only was this quite a bit tedious, but it had a lot of trial and error. I would find one pin and think it would work and then some little detail made it just enough off for it not to work properly.
This showed me that engineering is about identifying and end goal and then taking risks in the steps you take to get there. It's about failing a few times, but above that, about learning how to grow out of failures!
I love my final product! Come by my table to see the final product at presentations May 6!
While that blog gives you an overview of the coding behind my final product, this post is geared towards the hardware end of things.
To actually write and program the code I used a program called MPLab. It is a basic program that anyone can download off the internet and it helps teach you about the coding process. The program itself was very basic which was nice given I was someone new to coding. The picture below shows you what my screen would have looked like.
After the code is written, it (in overly simplified terms) gets sent to a device named "pickit3" which is also a product available on the internet. This takes the data and converts it into a readable language for the microchip.
After that, some magic (just kidding... coding and engineering) makes the LED ring light up in the way you specified in the code.
Below is a photo of what this set up looks like!
The most challenging part of this project was the coding. However, another learning opportunity arose when we needed to find a data port on the microchip. I had to use the schematic and data sheet to find a single pin (out of 100 options) that fit the needed requirements. Not only was this quite a bit tedious, but it had a lot of trial and error. I would find one pin and think it would work and then some little detail made it just enough off for it not to work properly.
This showed me that engineering is about identifying and end goal and then taking risks in the steps you take to get there. It's about failing a few times, but above that, about learning how to grow out of failures!
I love my final product! Come by my table to see the final product at presentations May 6!
Things I have learned: Messing Up = Growth
Over the course of my internship, I gained access to a lot of information. A lot of the information was from my internship. It was a lot of tangible facts.. but it also was an experience that was more personal than that.
My internship was particularly inspiring because it showed me the value of personal relationships in the workplace. The team that I was with taught me that working hard doesn't have to be emotionally and physically draining.... well there were a lot of days I spent up on my feet... but it all goes to providing the best product for the customer and for making the best working environment for employees.
I learned about work ethic outside of the classroom. Sure, BASIS taught me how to manage my time well, how to work in a team with my peers, and how to sit down and get some grit when things got hard. However, I never really had the opportunity to learn about growth in the workplace. While at MJS Designs, I learned that not only was it completely alright if you messed up... but that it was actually encouraged. Making a mistake gives you the opportunity to learn versus robotically solving a problem without taking anything in.
As I talked about with the LED ring, there was an ENTIRE week where I wasn't even editing the right part of the code. Rather than programming each LED, I was messing with the backbone of the code and the result was a wide variety of messed up results. The point is, I spent an entire week of my project messing up but instead of getting upset with me, my mentor laughed it off and then guided me in the right direction.
I have come to find that for me personally, the biggest struggle I will face as a future engineer is having people tell me that I can't do something. I think that an environment geared towards discouraging girls from engineering is determinantal to society. Females, in general, are more detail oriented and focus on aesthetics so of course, the field needs this manner of problem-solving.
In my opinion, the key to a female's success in engineering is messing up. In equation form..
MESSING UP = GROWTH
Through making mistakes, females will be able to develop their skills and it will give them the confidence to attempt problems even when they aren't certain on how to finish them. Education within engineering should focus on developing an atmosphere where females are encouraged to be bold... After all, those who are bold enough to take risks are the ones who change the world.
My internship was particularly inspiring because it showed me the value of personal relationships in the workplace. The team that I was with taught me that working hard doesn't have to be emotionally and physically draining.... well there were a lot of days I spent up on my feet... but it all goes to providing the best product for the customer and for making the best working environment for employees.
I learned about work ethic outside of the classroom. Sure, BASIS taught me how to manage my time well, how to work in a team with my peers, and how to sit down and get some grit when things got hard. However, I never really had the opportunity to learn about growth in the workplace. While at MJS Designs, I learned that not only was it completely alright if you messed up... but that it was actually encouraged. Making a mistake gives you the opportunity to learn versus robotically solving a problem without taking anything in.
As I talked about with the LED ring, there was an ENTIRE week where I wasn't even editing the right part of the code. Rather than programming each LED, I was messing with the backbone of the code and the result was a wide variety of messed up results. The point is, I spent an entire week of my project messing up but instead of getting upset with me, my mentor laughed it off and then guided me in the right direction.
I have come to find that for me personally, the biggest struggle I will face as a future engineer is having people tell me that I can't do something. I think that an environment geared towards discouraging girls from engineering is determinantal to society. Females, in general, are more detail oriented and focus on aesthetics so of course, the field needs this manner of problem-solving.
In my opinion, the key to a female's success in engineering is messing up. In equation form..
MESSING UP = GROWTH
Through making mistakes, females will be able to develop their skills and it will give them the confidence to attempt problems even when they aren't certain on how to finish them. Education within engineering should focus on developing an atmosphere where females are encouraged to be bold... After all, those who are bold enough to take risks are the ones who change the world.
From A Man's Perspective
Over the past week, I have been working to polish off my presentation. In doing so, I realized that I have a huge blog post opportunity. I have talked about why females seem to struggle in engineering, how universities are responding to the issue, and even some commercials that attempt to counter the stigma through their presence on social media. However, I never really addressed a male perspective on the issue.
One of the people from my internship shared the following article with me and, quite honestly, I am a bit speechless. The article discusses the differences in the kind of struggles faced by engineers. Clearly, engineering isn't any easy profession to pursue. However, this man shows that despite his physical disabilities, mental hardships, and tedious hours spent on rigorous course work ... females still suffered more when it comes to the engineering education system.
Rather than describing the article, I thought I would let it speak for itself... Here is the photo from the newspaper it was published in.
http://shareably.net/male-engineering-student-explains-why-female-classmates-arent-his-equals-v1
I chose to share this as a blog post so that you can see how important it is to consider how your persepctives might be altered when you gain access to more information! I challenge you to seek out someone who challenges sterotypes and thank them for their determination to invoke change in society.
One of the people from my internship shared the following article with me and, quite honestly, I am a bit speechless. The article discusses the differences in the kind of struggles faced by engineers. Clearly, engineering isn't any easy profession to pursue. However, this man shows that despite his physical disabilities, mental hardships, and tedious hours spent on rigorous course work ... females still suffered more when it comes to the engineering education system.
Rather than describing the article, I thought I would let it speak for itself... Here is the photo from the newspaper it was published in.
http://shareably.net/male-engineering-student-explains-why-female-classmates-arent-his-equals-v1
I chose to share this as a blog post so that you can see how important it is to consider how your persepctives might be altered when you gain access to more information! I challenge you to seek out someone who challenges sterotypes and thank them for their determination to invoke change in society.
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
Adafruit LED Ring
Hi everyone!
Have you ever been one to take arts and crafts kits and follow the instructions to make them? How about taking a large LEGO kit and following the model to build the coolest buildings and cars? Well, based on everything in society shifting towards a technology based product, a company named Adafruit offers items that you can use to build whatever you can imagine.
For example, some people have made LED ring earrings or bracelets along with a variety of other products! Adafruit has an entire portion of it's website dedicated just to the invention and final products that are created by people who use Adafruit components. Visit this website to look at all the awesome (and completely geeky) inventions that people have come up with using LEDs similar to what I worked with.
While at my internship, I have been working with the NeoPixel Ring which is basically 24 LED rings daisy chained together. Using a program called "MPLAB X IDE", and a debugger I have been programing the ring to light up in different ways based on how much data is given to each LED ring. Using C programming, I started to send each LED lights a specific amount of data from 0-256 bits. The reason that each LED light receives information is because a different amount of data changes the brightness. Furthermore, each LED has three different lights. One is green, one blue, and one red.
Okay let's step back to kindergarten for a moment! What are red blue and green class? Correct! They are primary colors. I know it was a while ago but when you think back to kindergarten you probably remember mixing the colors together and being completely surprised when a I new color formed. Well, as silly as it may sound. This happened to me when I was working on this project. On accident, I had sent both the red and the blue LED data... resulting in a purple color. At first it surprised me and I wondered if I messed up somehow given that I was expecting blue. However, after thinking about it a bit more, I realized that by sending data to both of the lights the result was a combination of them.
To give you a better idea of what I mean when I say "send the LED data" I wanted to include part of my code here. Now mind you, my code ended up being over 2,000 lines (crazy right!?!). This is the part that established the background color for the ring while the other lights rotated through changing color.
for(k=0; k<50; k++)
{
for(i=0; i<24; i++) // Generate Blue Background
{
Ring_Green_Data[i] = Off;
Ring_Red_Data[i] = Off;
Ring_Blue_Data[i] = 255;
}
{
for(i=0; i<24; i++) // Generate Blue Background
{
Ring_Green_Data[i] = Off;
Ring_Red_Data[i] = Off;
Ring_Blue_Data[i] = 255;
}
In basic terms, this is telling the ring to light up with a very very bright colored blue for all 24 LEDs. 255 is the level of maximum intensity for each color. Off means that the light is receiving 0 bits of data, thus it doesn't produce a color. Likewise, If I were to set "Ring_Green_Data[I] = 255" and the red and blue to off then you would see a very bright green.
To see a purple color I could turn both the red and the blue on to a medium intensity by sending 128 bits of both colors.
for(k=0; k<50; k++)
{
for(i=0; i<24; i++) // Generate Purple Background
{
Ring_Green_Data[i] = Off;
Ring_Red_Data[i] = 128;
Ring_Blue_Data[i] = 128;
}
{
for(i=0; i<24; i++) // Generate Purple Background
{
Ring_Green_Data[i] = Off;
Ring_Red_Data[i] = 128;
Ring_Blue_Data[i] = 128;
}
For the project I was working on, we sent each LED it's own color "assignment." The code you see above was to set the "background " color. Once this was established, the other color assignments were sent out to the specific LEDs that we wanted. For instance, if we wanted the 12th LED on the string to be blue we would sent the data to that LED by saying something like "Ring_Blue_Data[12] = 128." This would result in LED #12 showing up as a medium intensity blue light.
Okay, I know this is probably a lot of information to process and a lot of it doesn't make sense. Basically, if you spend a few weeks reading data sheets all over the internet and practicing (with a lot of trial and error) the product is something really awesome. Through this blog I wanted to show that while you may not know how to do something right away just try - it's interesting to see what you come up with!!
| Here some example of bracelets and earrings using Adafruit NeoPixel rings. |
Monday, April 17, 2017
Internship Update
Welcome back!
I have realized that in recent posts there hasn't been a lot of information about my internship. Current, I am working on two different projects, both of which have been incredibly interesting :)
The first is a project with the electrical engineer. I have been teaching myself how to code using C programming... which has been quite the adventure. C programming, in short, is a commonly used language that coders use to program machine functions. I thought that the coolest part was the data log. Each device within the system I am working on has its own data sheet. The part that is actually receiving the data being inputted through the code is the most important one. The data is transferred in three sets of 24-bit data. In basic terms, this means that the data is sent to the device. The device then processes the data and responds based on how the main.c page defines its function. While this can be super confusing, I think that it has been one of the most satisfying parts of my internship to alter the code and then see how that changes how the device functions.
The second main project that I have been working on is with the mechanical assembly team on the grey floor. While this doesn't focus on the engineering aspect of things, I have learned a lot about what engineers should consider while building their devices. This may not apply as much in my intended field of study, electrical engineering, however, if I were to program a device and then build a capsule or enclosure there are certain things to consider. While building a few of the devices in the back, I noticed how diffucult it was to screw things in due to angles that the engineers failed to consider. While it seems small, it takes longer to build and thus slows the entire proces down. Working with the mechanical assembly team has showed me how detailed engineering is and let me just say, I love it! Some call me a perfectionist and I guess I kinda am. I think that when attention is given to the smaller details in life, the final product is of better quality all around.
Come back next week to read more about my internship!
I have realized that in recent posts there hasn't been a lot of information about my internship. Current, I am working on two different projects, both of which have been incredibly interesting :)
The first is a project with the electrical engineer. I have been teaching myself how to code using C programming... which has been quite the adventure. C programming, in short, is a commonly used language that coders use to program machine functions. I thought that the coolest part was the data log. Each device within the system I am working on has its own data sheet. The part that is actually receiving the data being inputted through the code is the most important one. The data is transferred in three sets of 24-bit data. In basic terms, this means that the data is sent to the device. The device then processes the data and responds based on how the main.c page defines its function. While this can be super confusing, I think that it has been one of the most satisfying parts of my internship to alter the code and then see how that changes how the device functions.
The second main project that I have been working on is with the mechanical assembly team on the grey floor. While this doesn't focus on the engineering aspect of things, I have learned a lot about what engineers should consider while building their devices. This may not apply as much in my intended field of study, electrical engineering, however, if I were to program a device and then build a capsule or enclosure there are certain things to consider. While building a few of the devices in the back, I noticed how diffucult it was to screw things in due to angles that the engineers failed to consider. While it seems small, it takes longer to build and thus slows the entire proces down. Working with the mechanical assembly team has showed me how detailed engineering is and let me just say, I love it! Some call me a perfectionist and I guess I kinda am. I think that when attention is given to the smaller details in life, the final product is of better quality all around.
Come back next week to read more about my internship!
ASU NewSpace Expo
Good morning everyone! Welcome back to my blog!
This past week was a bit hectic but that only means my senior project research is in full gear. Last Thursday I attended Arizona State Universities NewSpace Expo. It was a networking breakfast followed by a quick update on a few of the things that this program is currently working on. The mission of this program is "the integration of academics and commercial space enterprises using the resources ASU has to offer."
Tes Calvert was one of the people who gave a brief presentation. As a major contributor to the program, she wanted to talk about a new and upcoming part of the NewSpace program, The Interplanetary Initiative. She said that "humankind is compelled to explore space, and will have a space future" arguing that there needs to be a link between humankind and all future space discovery. This makes a lot of sense. If something is inevitably going to occur then, of course, you want to be on the leading edge of progression. In my mind, this meant feeding a lot of money into the STEM programs that would help further space research. However, as if she read my mind, she was quick to caution that this initiative was NOT just for the STEM fields but for all fields. The "Interplanetary Initiative" is designed to pair discovery with education. I believe that this applies to my entire research project because it shows that while it might take a very specific person to love math the way engineers do, everyone can think creatively and everyone can make significant contributions to a group effort. No matter gender, ethnicity, or financial background all people think individually. The only way that progression is going to continue is if these diverse thoughts join together while working on various projects, such as those for the NewSpace Expo.
After a few more professors and staff gave presentations, Kaylee, a current ASU senior majoring in astrophysics, gave us a tour of the Interdisciplinary Science and Technology building. While on the tour we got to peek into the lab rooms through the windows. In many of the windows was the sign pictured below. After all of the research I have been conducting, this sign made me smile because it shows that no matter how many people still reject the idea of females in the engineering field, there are people, programs, and even schools as a whole supporting our goals. The sign reads "This space RESPECTS all aspects of people, including race, ethnicity, gender expression, sexual orientation, socio-economic background, age, religion, and ability."
For more information on the NewSpace program, visit their website here.
Thank you! Stay tuned for more!
This past week was a bit hectic but that only means my senior project research is in full gear. Last Thursday I attended Arizona State Universities NewSpace Expo. It was a networking breakfast followed by a quick update on a few of the things that this program is currently working on. The mission of this program is "the integration of academics and commercial space enterprises using the resources ASU has to offer."
Tes Calvert was one of the people who gave a brief presentation. As a major contributor to the program, she wanted to talk about a new and upcoming part of the NewSpace program, The Interplanetary Initiative. She said that "humankind is compelled to explore space, and will have a space future" arguing that there needs to be a link between humankind and all future space discovery. This makes a lot of sense. If something is inevitably going to occur then, of course, you want to be on the leading edge of progression. In my mind, this meant feeding a lot of money into the STEM programs that would help further space research. However, as if she read my mind, she was quick to caution that this initiative was NOT just for the STEM fields but for all fields. The "Interplanetary Initiative" is designed to pair discovery with education. I believe that this applies to my entire research project because it shows that while it might take a very specific person to love math the way engineers do, everyone can think creatively and everyone can make significant contributions to a group effort. No matter gender, ethnicity, or financial background all people think individually. The only way that progression is going to continue is if these diverse thoughts join together while working on various projects, such as those for the NewSpace Expo.
After a few more professors and staff gave presentations, Kaylee, a current ASU senior majoring in astrophysics, gave us a tour of the Interdisciplinary Science and Technology building. While on the tour we got to peek into the lab rooms through the windows. In many of the windows was the sign pictured below. After all of the research I have been conducting, this sign made me smile because it shows that no matter how many people still reject the idea of females in the engineering field, there are people, programs, and even schools as a whole supporting our goals. The sign reads "This space RESPECTS all aspects of people, including race, ethnicity, gender expression, sexual orientation, socio-economic background, age, religion, and ability."
For more information on the NewSpace program, visit their website here.
Thank you! Stay tuned for more!
Saturday, April 8, 2017
ASU's "Women in Engineering" Dinner
Hi again :)
This past Tuesday I had the honor of attending ASU's "Women in Engineering" Dinner. While the main goal of the dinner was to get the females in the room to attend ASU, the message ran far deeper. After dinner was served, two females took the stage to share their story.
The first was a female professor at ASU who focuses on recruitment in addition to her regular classess. She told us about the work that she does at ASU and the ways in which the school is willing to help reach out to the females, like those who were sitting in the room, so that they might not only attend ASU but also be bold enough to finish the courses. She prided ASU on having 21% female in the Ira. A. Fulton Schools of Engineering. The national average is just shy of 20%. She contributed this lead to the welcoming faculity and staff because they created a firm support system.
The second person to speak was an alumna who went on to not only successfully pursue a degree in engineering but who also realized what it meant to be a female in the field. As an incoming student she feared the unknown. However, she went on to tell all the future sun-devils in the room that not only are they in good hands at the university but that she gained confidence within the STEM field because of the mentoring and tutoring opportunities that ASU offers females in the field. Above all she went on to say that ASU gave her "the confidence" to do things she "never thought possible."
At ASU specifically, they have a variety of programs, clubs, and organizations geared towards women. This week I plan to compare the different programs across various schools in order to figure out which ones are most successful.
This dinner not only helped me to decide on what school I am attending (GO DEVILSS!!!!) but it helped reaffirm the findings of my project.Thus far I have concluded that, in order for a female to be successful in the STEM fields, she must latch onto the confidence that current society is trying to build in her.
More to come soon! Thank you :)
This past Tuesday I had the honor of attending ASU's "Women in Engineering" Dinner. While the main goal of the dinner was to get the females in the room to attend ASU, the message ran far deeper. After dinner was served, two females took the stage to share their story.
The first was a female professor at ASU who focuses on recruitment in addition to her regular classess. She told us about the work that she does at ASU and the ways in which the school is willing to help reach out to the females, like those who were sitting in the room, so that they might not only attend ASU but also be bold enough to finish the courses. She prided ASU on having 21% female in the Ira. A. Fulton Schools of Engineering. The national average is just shy of 20%. She contributed this lead to the welcoming faculity and staff because they created a firm support system.
The second person to speak was an alumna who went on to not only successfully pursue a degree in engineering but who also realized what it meant to be a female in the field. As an incoming student she feared the unknown. However, she went on to tell all the future sun-devils in the room that not only are they in good hands at the university but that she gained confidence within the STEM field because of the mentoring and tutoring opportunities that ASU offers females in the field. Above all she went on to say that ASU gave her "the confidence" to do things she "never thought possible."
At ASU specifically, they have a variety of programs, clubs, and organizations geared towards women. This week I plan to compare the different programs across various schools in order to figure out which ones are most successful.
This dinner not only helped me to decide on what school I am attending (GO DEVILSS!!!!) but it helped reaffirm the findings of my project.Thus far I have concluded that, in order for a female to be successful in the STEM fields, she must latch onto the confidence that current society is trying to build in her.
More to come soon! Thank you :)
STEM as Presented in Commercials
Hi, welcome back :)
As I continue to conduct research for my project, I am starting to see a lot of patterns.
1) The mentality that "engineering is for boys" starts at a very young age
2) Females are being encouraged in all facets of life. The various campaigns geared towards building females up and encouraging them is giving all types of females more confidence and more boldness to pursue a variety of degrees, including engineering.
3) Universities all across the country are making it a top priority to not only recruit females for their engineering programs but to retain them once they enroll. There are a variety of programs and initiatives geared towards helping females get all the way through college and into the workforce.
As I have mentioned in previous blogs, women in today’s society are constantly being given the resources to not only expand their knowledge but to increase their confidence. Starting now at a young age, girls are being taught to love themselves for who they are and the things that they like to do. For example, Microsoft recently released a commercial titled "Girls Do Science" in which little girls begin describing some of the things they have made but then they question if it is socially acceptable. One girl even mentions that most of the scientists that students learn about are male, so science is something that the boys are supposed to do. However, the commercial takes it beyond opinion and draws in the fact that "only 2 out of 10 girls will go on to pursue science." This sad fact is because young girls are taught that science is for boys by the ratio they see of females to males on the television, in their classes, and from their surroundings. As mentioned with the Goldie Blox toys, this is a mentality that society is trying to correct. This is one of the largest factors contributing to the rise in the percentage of females in the field. It is commercials such as Microsoft's that are attempting to counter the traditional expectations for females.
However, I believe that the women should be able to enter this field without the burden of feeling out of place. Currently, the average percentage of females in engineering programs at the university level is just shy of 20%... so even with more entering the field, we still stand in the minority. I think this causes females to transfer out and to leave the field. However, I will discuss how universities are also correcting this mentality in a future blog post.
In conclusion, I believe that the key towards bringing more females into the industry is by catching them at a young age. In order for them to truly succeed at the highest levels, I believe that they need to know that they actually can do what it takes and that it is acceptable for them to be 1 of the 2 in every 10 girls that wishes to use their creativity in a way that shapes and transforms the world.
Click here to watch the commercial discussed above.
As I continue to conduct research for my project, I am starting to see a lot of patterns.
1) The mentality that "engineering is for boys" starts at a very young age
2) Females are being encouraged in all facets of life. The various campaigns geared towards building females up and encouraging them is giving all types of females more confidence and more boldness to pursue a variety of degrees, including engineering.
3) Universities all across the country are making it a top priority to not only recruit females for their engineering programs but to retain them once they enroll. There are a variety of programs and initiatives geared towards helping females get all the way through college and into the workforce.
As I have mentioned in previous blogs, women in today’s society are constantly being given the resources to not only expand their knowledge but to increase their confidence. Starting now at a young age, girls are being taught to love themselves for who they are and the things that they like to do. For example, Microsoft recently released a commercial titled "Girls Do Science" in which little girls begin describing some of the things they have made but then they question if it is socially acceptable. One girl even mentions that most of the scientists that students learn about are male, so science is something that the boys are supposed to do. However, the commercial takes it beyond opinion and draws in the fact that "only 2 out of 10 girls will go on to pursue science." This sad fact is because young girls are taught that science is for boys by the ratio they see of females to males on the television, in their classes, and from their surroundings. As mentioned with the Goldie Blox toys, this is a mentality that society is trying to correct. This is one of the largest factors contributing to the rise in the percentage of females in the field. It is commercials such as Microsoft's that are attempting to counter the traditional expectations for females.
However, I believe that the women should be able to enter this field without the burden of feeling out of place. Currently, the average percentage of females in engineering programs at the university level is just shy of 20%... so even with more entering the field, we still stand in the minority. I think this causes females to transfer out and to leave the field. However, I will discuss how universities are also correcting this mentality in a future blog post.
In conclusion, I believe that the key towards bringing more females into the industry is by catching them at a young age. In order for them to truly succeed at the highest levels, I believe that they need to know that they actually can do what it takes and that it is acceptable for them to be 1 of the 2 in every 10 girls that wishes to use their creativity in a way that shapes and transforms the world.
Click here to watch the commercial discussed above.
Saturday, March 11, 2017
The Magic of Mentoring
Hi and welcome back!
Today I want to talk to you a little bit about how women are becoming successful in their engineering careers. According to an article titled "Women in Engineering" by Lisa M. Frehill, Peggy Layne, Ane Turner Johnson, and Sarah Hood, the key to a women's success in this field lies in the mentoring that she had access to. If she had more mentoring opportunities, she was more successful. I think this is a really important component that further proves how universities are incorporating the needs of females into their programs. Below is a brief overview of the article.
Mentoring has nearly become famous for its influence on their success. Articles appeared in in-flight magazines of major airlines and academic journals. Universities have started advertising different programs they have available. Everyone know that mentoring has a huge influence, but what exactly does mentoring provide the student?
First, we need to talk about the two kinds of mentoring. There is career mentoring and then there is psychological mentoring. Career mentoring, in order to be successful according to this article, should focus on finding someone in the student's future career path to act as a mentor and a guide. Psychological mentoring, on the other hand, should be focused on creating a bond between the counselor and the student in order for the student to gain emotional support and to build self-confidence. Through the combination of both of these types of mentoring, women find their careers in engineering more enjoyable and are thus more productive.
In all, I think this article helps to argue my point that the movement towards engineering is being driven by the confidence level of females. Due to society encouraging bravery, self-confidence, and boldness, women are starting to feel more comfortable pursuing this career. Furthermore, these mentoring programs act as stepping stones that help females get from where they are to where they want to be in their career despite the obstacles they might face!
I plan on looking into various examples of programs offered by schools that help females make the transition and help them find success. Come back next week for more! :)
If you have any questions on the article discussed above, or if you would like to read it for yourself, you can find it here.
Today I want to talk to you a little bit about how women are becoming successful in their engineering careers. According to an article titled "Women in Engineering" by Lisa M. Frehill, Peggy Layne, Ane Turner Johnson, and Sarah Hood, the key to a women's success in this field lies in the mentoring that she had access to. If she had more mentoring opportunities, she was more successful. I think this is a really important component that further proves how universities are incorporating the needs of females into their programs. Below is a brief overview of the article.
Mentoring has nearly become famous for its influence on their success. Articles appeared in in-flight magazines of major airlines and academic journals. Universities have started advertising different programs they have available. Everyone know that mentoring has a huge influence, but what exactly does mentoring provide the student?
First, we need to talk about the two kinds of mentoring. There is career mentoring and then there is psychological mentoring. Career mentoring, in order to be successful according to this article, should focus on finding someone in the student's future career path to act as a mentor and a guide. Psychological mentoring, on the other hand, should be focused on creating a bond between the counselor and the student in order for the student to gain emotional support and to build self-confidence. Through the combination of both of these types of mentoring, women find their careers in engineering more enjoyable and are thus more productive.
In all, I think this article helps to argue my point that the movement towards engineering is being driven by the confidence level of females. Due to society encouraging bravery, self-confidence, and boldness, women are starting to feel more comfortable pursuing this career. Furthermore, these mentoring programs act as stepping stones that help females get from where they are to where they want to be in their career despite the obstacles they might face!
I plan on looking into various examples of programs offered by schools that help females make the transition and help them find success. Come back next week for more! :)
If you have any questions on the article discussed above, or if you would like to read it for yourself, you can find it here.
Building Confidence in Young Girls - Ball Gown Bash
Hi everyone! Welcome back to my blog.
Today I want to talk about a program that I organized that took place today. Over the course of the last few weeks, I have been managing this event as well as working on my senior project. Oh, and before you say "Elizabeth, giving away prom dresses has nothing to do with engineering" just hear me out :) I'm sure you will catch the connection by the end!
The event was titled "Ball Gown Bash" and it was a non-profit event organized for the sole purpose of getting young high school girls a prom dress. The event was hosted today and nearly 50 girls showed up and only three left without a dress. These girls are living heartbreaking stories in which life is not always the prettiest. A few of the girls were homeless, others were in a situation where they couldn't facilitate prom financially. However, my co-organizer and I realized the importance of showing girls how truly beautiful they are starting from the youngest of ages. This event focused on bringing out young girl's confidence through providing them resources to feel beautiful. While the event was truly breathtaking and some of the stories were incredible, I bring it up because I think it reveals something important about our society.
Despite all of the new programs for women within different fields, we all still struggle with self-confidence issues. This not only seeps into our confidence socially but in life in general. Personally, I even believe this can influence academics on a major level. Girls who are not comfortable with who they tend to blend into the crowd - not stand out. Thus, women don't always want to pursue career paths that are non-traditional because they don't want to draw any negative attention to themselves.
I believe that through a variety of programs that are being put into place, women are starting to take pride in their individuality and are therefore becoming increasingly bold in their actions. However, I think this could be an interesting reason for why less women pursue engineering. When facing obstacles, the best thing to have on your side is confidence. I think it's super important for women to gain this.
My event today helped me see a greater perspective of the different life story that each individual has. I think the best approach to drawing girls into engineering would be to build their confidence because in accepting who they are I believe they might accept that they want to follow their dreams no matter how they might be viewed for doing so!
Below are some photos from the event. I hope these smiling faces bring as much joy to your heart as they did for me <3
Today I want to talk about a program that I organized that took place today. Over the course of the last few weeks, I have been managing this event as well as working on my senior project. Oh, and before you say "Elizabeth, giving away prom dresses has nothing to do with engineering" just hear me out :) I'm sure you will catch the connection by the end!
The event was titled "Ball Gown Bash" and it was a non-profit event organized for the sole purpose of getting young high school girls a prom dress. The event was hosted today and nearly 50 girls showed up and only three left without a dress. These girls are living heartbreaking stories in which life is not always the prettiest. A few of the girls were homeless, others were in a situation where they couldn't facilitate prom financially. However, my co-organizer and I realized the importance of showing girls how truly beautiful they are starting from the youngest of ages. This event focused on bringing out young girl's confidence through providing them resources to feel beautiful. While the event was truly breathtaking and some of the stories were incredible, I bring it up because I think it reveals something important about our society.
Despite all of the new programs for women within different fields, we all still struggle with self-confidence issues. This not only seeps into our confidence socially but in life in general. Personally, I even believe this can influence academics on a major level. Girls who are not comfortable with who they tend to blend into the crowd - not stand out. Thus, women don't always want to pursue career paths that are non-traditional because they don't want to draw any negative attention to themselves.
I believe that through a variety of programs that are being put into place, women are starting to take pride in their individuality and are therefore becoming increasingly bold in their actions. However, I think this could be an interesting reason for why less women pursue engineering. When facing obstacles, the best thing to have on your side is confidence. I think it's super important for women to gain this.
My event today helped me see a greater perspective of the different life story that each individual has. I think the best approach to drawing girls into engineering would be to build their confidence because in accepting who they are I believe they might accept that they want to follow their dreams no matter how they might be viewed for doing so!
Below are some photos from the event. I hope these smiling faces bring as much joy to your heart as they did for me <3
 |
| The girls who attended the event were able to look and choose any dress from the five shown here. Then they were able to find all their needed accessories at the tables in the front! |
 |
| To promote the event to the local community a few days prior to the event the local news came, shown above, to ask for last minute donations and to get a few more girls to sign up to recieve a dress! |
Saturday, March 4, 2017
Shifting Societal Standards
Welcome back everyone!
I would like to start this post with a question. Please take a moment to think about your answer before you read the rest of this post...
If you were living ten to fifteen years how many males would you see in the makeup industry, how many females would you see in engineering, how many males would you see as "stay at home dads?"
While these are just a few ideas I think that it really shows how far society has come. In the past it was few and far between that someone would step across the very clearly marked gender boundary. However, this concept has not only become accepted in our society but encouraged!
I would like to bring up Covergirl as an example. At the start of 2017, this makeup company introduced their first male model. Despite being highly contrivesal, this was a bold declaration for gender equality. In a typically female industry males are now continuing to pop up. On all forms of social media there are males embracing this new found attention and sharing their ideas. I personally believe that a lot of gender boundaries are being broken due to increases in technology and communication throughout the world (more to come on this).
I bring this example up in order to bring up the broader topic that my project is commenting on. Just as women are moving into engineering, both males and females are taking on new roles. I believe that females now have the confidence to puruse engineering because of an overall acceptance in today's society.
I bring this example up in order to bring up the broader topic that my project is commenting on. Just as women are moving into engineering, both males and females are taking on new roles. I believe that females now have the confidence to puruse engineering because of an overall acceptance in today's society.
Could Bias Towards STEM be Starting at the Elementary Level?
Hi all! :) Welcome back!!
Thus far we have discussed my internship and a few of the ways that we can see women in the engineering field during their adulthood but we have not yet discussed the influence of the elementary atmosphere on women that ultimately pursue engineering. Not only is there a vast number of stereotypes within engineering but toys that develop engineering skills are simply not geared towards females.
A great example is LEGO, a company that we probably all know. What you might not have noticed about legos is that they typically have a male oriented theme. They are labeled as "boy toys" and are normally found in the corresponding aisle at the store while the girl's toy aisle is filled with pink and purple colors with lots of Barbies, cooking toys, and baby dolls. This signals to young children that girls are supposed to cook and take care of babies while the boys build things. The traditional gender roles of society are ingrained into the toys available to young children. Furthermore, when students go to decide which activities they would like to do or which classes they want to take, the ideas taught to them during childhood make it such that females take cooking classes while the men are in the wood shop or they're building cars.
One female, Debbie Sterling, recognized this after attending her first few engineering classes at the university level. Not only does this change how girls think they are supposed to act in society but it limits what they learn. It has been shown that females at the university level typically struggle with spacial reasoning while men don't. But if you take it back to childhood you can clearly see that men understand this better because they have practiced how to take the 2-D image in the lego instruction manual and build the actual 3-D product. Girls didn't normally play with legos so they weren't able to practice this concept. However, Debbie Sterling did a study while developing GoldieBlox that determined that even when young girls were given traditional legos they weren't interested. After many studies, she also found that merely changing the colors of legos to pink or purple to intrigue the girls wasn't enough. She found that the young girls wanted to follow a story. Thus, she took the lego type blox that she developed and wrote a book where a female engineer is building objects that the girls can actually follow along and build with her. Not only were girls then developing their spatial reasoning but they were using their imagination. The story of how Debbie Sterling broke through the barrier in the toy industry is truly inspiring. I encourage you all to watch her TedTalk here. As you can see through this new product, there are people who want to encourage the next generation of female engineers.
So, it is clear that the struggle for women pursuing STEM fields doesn't just start when the enter high school but that it is a life-long battle. I hope that through this project you will start to see how deep this issue goes but that you also acknowledge the progress that is being made due to shifting barriers in today's society!
Saturday, February 25, 2017
MedTech Conference
Hi all! Welcome back,
This past Thursday I had the honor of attending the MedTech conference put on by the Arizona Council of Technology. Not only did I gain an immense knowledge of technology in the medical industry but I saw a glimpse into how career networking really looks.
Something that I noticed was that while there were a large number of females present at the event there were still more males. Furthermore, the sponsor showcase was where the duties of the females showed through. The females that were at the conference were mostly there for marketing companies. They were at the boots promoting the company and socializing with the other male engineers that were there looking for work. While this was an informational and marketing conference, I still found this interesting.
On a side note, the innovations being made through engineers of all kinds is one of the reasons I love it so much. Currently, babies that are born "blue" (a serious lack of oxygen) are being treated significantly better because of engineering technologies such as 3D printing. After the babies are born scans of their hearts (deformities are all) are translated into a software than then prints out an actual model. This allows the doctors to look at the heart before they actually begin the surgery so that they can better understand how to approach the patient's particular situation. Innovation only occurs when teams are able to fully collaborate. Given that teamwork is so essential, I'd like to once again argue that it is incredibly important to have input from both genders.
Stay tuned for more fun events and information!!
Friday, February 24, 2017
SAT Performance Gap Between the Genders
Hi again!
In looking into the different characteristics that females and males bring to engineering, I found it important to look into different test scores. In a recent study of 2015 SAT exams, there was a 31% difference between the level at which males and females performed. According to AEI's Rick Hess these numbers are in fact "ugly" and represent a sad fact about traditional high school in current America. The males scored an average of 527 on the 2015 SAT exam while females only scored an average 496. Even into 2015 there is a statistically significant difference, particularly in math, in favor of males across all ethnic groups. AEI argues that this is because males are better prepared. However, according to College Board, this is not accurate. Rather, they argue that females are more prepared because in 2015 there were near 100,000 MORE females that took the exam that year. It might be just me, but this is mind-blowing. How is that, despite having a larger number taking the exam, females still struggle? In the next week, I plan to look into why colleges are going out of their way to recruit females despite their lower scores.
In looking into the different characteristics that females and males bring to engineering, I found it important to look into different test scores. In a recent study of 2015 SAT exams, there was a 31% difference between the level at which males and females performed. According to AEI's Rick Hess these numbers are in fact "ugly" and represent a sad fact about traditional high school in current America. The males scored an average of 527 on the 2015 SAT exam while females only scored an average 496. Even into 2015 there is a statistically significant difference, particularly in math, in favor of males across all ethnic groups. AEI argues that this is because males are better prepared. However, according to College Board, this is not accurate. Rather, they argue that females are more prepared because in 2015 there were near 100,000 MORE females that took the exam that year. It might be just me, but this is mind-blowing. How is that, despite having a larger number taking the exam, females still struggle? In the next week, I plan to look into why colleges are going out of their way to recruit females despite their lower scores.
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| Here's a trend to think about. Over many generations, males have been scoring higher than females. This includes males of all ethnicities. Interesting? I think so. |
Monday, February 20, 2017
A Look Into Women in Engineering at the University Level
Welcome back :)
Today I had the opportunity to attend a "Women in Engineering" panel through Arizona State University. This panel consisted of three current female engineering students who currently attend the university and one admirative person who oversees the Fulton colleges of engineering. All three students were members of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) that advocates for a higher female presence within the STEM fields in order to create a balanced team environment. Throughout the session, I learned a lot about the real experience of females within the engineering field, however, I also gained a glimpse into a possible motivation of this post.
Upon asking "What do you think the driving force behind this movement is" I received a few surprised looks and a delayed response. I knew immediately that the reason behind this reaction was because it's not normally a question people have been asking. That's truly the motivation behind my project because while the implications of the movement can clearly be seen statistically just by analyzing the number of females entering the field, the actual reason behind this huge movement is a bit clouded. For example, ASU's current engineering program is twenty-one percent females which places the university slightly above average. However, it is difficult to pinpoint an exact reason behind this universities attempts to incorporate females into their engineering programs.
One of the answers that I received was very interesting.. one of the freshman female engineering students stated that "engineering is a state of mind... you nearly need to have the confidence to succeed and others will treat you with respect despite the differences in gender. After all, why not all struggle through it together." While the rest of the group chuckled at the end of her response, the beginning really caught my attention. Does the answer to my research question really just rely on the fact that females now have the boldness to pursue a degree in a male-dominated field? Based on this question, I intend to pursue the social influences that may have contributed to the confidence boost that many are seeing.
A more concrete answer that I received was from the only male sitting in the room (what a change!). Also in an administrative position, he offered an opinion sourced outside of the university. He suggested that this movement is driven by the industry itself. He said, "companies are recognizing that by only having one gender's point of view they can only solve half of the world's problems instead of all of them." As evidence, he brought up a company that developed the seat-belt. A past friend of his worked on the project and despite all the testing that was run on crash test dummies and the numerous protoypes that were developed when the final product actually it the market it ran into a lot of complications. The designers of this seatbelt failed to consider how the seatbelt might work on a female, who had different body builds. Furthermore, they didn't account for how it might strap into a baby's carseat would strap in with the build of the seatbelt. All in all, the company realized that by exluding the female perspective they limited the success of the final product. In a world dominated by innovation and success, failure is not an option and so companies want to include both perspectives in order to further the influence of whatever product they might be developing.
In the next few weeks, I also plan on looking into how both of the genders approach problems and the manners in which the approaches are similar and/or different! Keep your eye out for that! :)
-Elizabeth
Saturday, February 18, 2017
Lesson #1 - It's All About the BOM
Welcome back!
Before starting my internship, I had no idea what the term "BOM" meant but within the first few hours working on the gray floor - I knew it was extremely important. While at my internship on Tuesday, I was able to travel around the gray floor - we'll talk about this later - and talk to people about their role in the production process. Every single person that I talked to referenced the BOM at least once. Now, you might be asking "Liz, what in the world is a 'BOM'" and that's simple to answer. A "BOM" is a "Bil Of Materials" which is basically a document in which all of the needed parts for a specific project are listed. While the specific details of how this spreadsheet is organized can be a bit dry, the importance could not be more interesting.
After the customer requests a quote for a product, MJS must then determine whether or not the customer wishes to provide their own parts for the project or if MJS will source them. This is where the BOM first comes into play these materials get filled into a document that serves as the roadmap for building and is key to a quality product.
A quick note about the gray floor: This is the area where all of the products are made. Within this area, everyone must be wearing proper ESD gear to prevent damage to any parts. ESD, or electrostatic discharge occurs when your body acts as a conductor. If you have ever walked across carpet and then shocked yourself when opening the doorknob then you have experienced ESD. In our everyday lives, there is charge all around us that we can sometimes build up without noticing. When this occurs, that flow of charge could break smaller parts on the board if not properly grounded.This is where the heel straps and smocks come into play. Every person on this floor must be wearing these items to avoid damage to the various electrical parts.
The biggest lesson I have learned so far was the importance of the BOM - it ties everything together and keeps the production organized to ensure the highest level of quality upon completion. (Not to mention it just sounds cool 😋)
Stay tuned for more!
-Elizabeth
Before starting my internship, I had no idea what the term "BOM" meant but within the first few hours working on the gray floor - I knew it was extremely important. While at my internship on Tuesday, I was able to travel around the gray floor - we'll talk about this later - and talk to people about their role in the production process. Every single person that I talked to referenced the BOM at least once. Now, you might be asking "Liz, what in the world is a 'BOM'" and that's simple to answer. A "BOM" is a "Bil Of Materials" which is basically a document in which all of the needed parts for a specific project are listed. While the specific details of how this spreadsheet is organized can be a bit dry, the importance could not be more interesting.
After the customer requests a quote for a product, MJS must then determine whether or not the customer wishes to provide their own parts for the project or if MJS will source them. This is where the BOM first comes into play these materials get filled into a document that serves as the roadmap for building and is key to a quality product.
A quick note about the gray floor: This is the area where all of the products are made. Within this area, everyone must be wearing proper ESD gear to prevent damage to any parts. ESD, or electrostatic discharge occurs when your body acts as a conductor. If you have ever walked across carpet and then shocked yourself when opening the doorknob then you have experienced ESD. In our everyday lives, there is charge all around us that we can sometimes build up without noticing. When this occurs, that flow of charge could break smaller parts on the board if not properly grounded.This is where the heel straps and smocks come into play. Every person on this floor must be wearing these items to avoid damage to the various electrical parts.
The biggest lesson I have learned so far was the importance of the BOM - it ties everything together and keeps the production organized to ensure the highest level of quality upon completion. (Not to mention it just sounds cool 😋)
Stay tuned for more!
-Elizabeth
Sunday, February 12, 2017
Introducing the Internship
Welcome back!
While I have only completed one week of my internship at MJS Designs, I have already gained a great understanding of what it is like to be an engineer. On my first day, I was given a tour of the facility and introduced to each person. The small size of the company allowed me to talk to each person individually and to get a brief overview of their role in the overall process.
The biggest thing that I have learned this far is the pivotal role that teamwork plays in the quality of the product. From the design phase on there are a variety of people working together to produce the final product. The multiple tests that are run to check for quality put MJS above other companies because they stress producing a product that not only works but works well. However, this level of quality calls for an even greater level of cooperation.
Throughout my project, I hope to explore this team-work more in order to really see what creates a good team. I want to look into the different approaches males and females take to problem-solving and how this might influence the ultimate product being made. I hope to discover the balance that females can bring to a traditionally male-dominated field. I intend to do this both through research and through my personal experience at MJS. My internship is designed to act as a supplement to my project; a way of expressing the facts that I am collecting in a tangible and relatable manner.
More to come on the incredible designs I will be working on at MJS! Subscribe here to learn more about females and their stereotypes in engineering in next week's blog!
-Elizabeth
While I have only completed one week of my internship at MJS Designs, I have already gained a great understanding of what it is like to be an engineer. On my first day, I was given a tour of the facility and introduced to each person. The small size of the company allowed me to talk to each person individually and to get a brief overview of their role in the overall process.
The biggest thing that I have learned this far is the pivotal role that teamwork plays in the quality of the product. From the design phase on there are a variety of people working together to produce the final product. The multiple tests that are run to check for quality put MJS above other companies because they stress producing a product that not only works but works well. However, this level of quality calls for an even greater level of cooperation.
Throughout my project, I hope to explore this team-work more in order to really see what creates a good team. I want to look into the different approaches males and females take to problem-solving and how this might influence the ultimate product being made. I hope to discover the balance that females can bring to a traditionally male-dominated field. I intend to do this both through research and through my personal experience at MJS. My internship is designed to act as a supplement to my project; a way of expressing the facts that I am collecting in a tangible and relatable manner.
More to come on the incredible designs I will be working on at MJS! Subscribe here to learn more about females and their stereotypes in engineering in next week's blog!
-Elizabeth
Welcome!
Welcome all!!
To introduce my project, I want to tell a story. Throughout all of my childhood, I was often building new toys to play with or making a craft. I would draw and push the limits of my creativity. This was all thanks to my grandfather! He taught me to embrace my imagination. This mentality pushed me to take a variety of physics and math courses and I fell in love with the STEM fields. I intend to pursue a degree in electrical engineering, an option that is not common for females. In fact, it was unheard of in the past.
Through this project, I hope to discover the motivation behind the recent push for females in engineering. There are a variety of programs that have recently been implemented to encourage females to pursue engineering. I intend to look into the differences in treatment between males and females within the field. The tips of obstacles females face and the different characteristics they can bring to the field. I intend to argue for the benefits of having both genders in the field.
My internship is through MJS Designs, a printed circuit board design company. I will receive an overview of the company to gain a wholesome understanding of the building process and then will spend the majority of my time working alongside the head electrical engineer to gain an in-depth look into the design process.
To learn more about my project, take a look at my project proposal. I encourage you to follow my blog if you are interested in modern day female engineers and the manner in which they are overcoming traditional barriers. Subscribe to my blog HERE!
-Elizabeth
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