Program encourages girls to consider engineering

Writer: Lori Harrison

Madisonville Messenger

Convincing girls to consider a career in engineering and technology is like making water flow uphill.

It's possible, but challenging.

Last year, females made up 24.7 percent of computer programmers. In engineering, the numbers are even lower, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. Women filled 11.5 percent of the civil engineering jobs, 10.5 percent of aerospace engineering positions and 7.3 percent of mechanical engineering slots.

Efforts are under way to encourage more girls to pursue technical careers.

"We're trying to support math and science at an early age before they start making decisions on their high school curriculum," said Paula Pendergraff, Madisonville Community College's community education coordinator.

Sixth-grade girls at Browning Springs Middle School received a gentle push in that direction May 9.

"If any of you like to travel, engineering is a great way to do that," Betsy Cox, a Purdue University senior studying mechanical engineering, told the group. "You can build water treatment plants all over the world, in Africa and India. They need to have access to clean drinking water."

The sixth-graders accepted the task of transporting coal -- actually water -- from a tank in the middle of the gym floor through pipes to a pretend barge painted on a piece of wood. Then the pipes headed to Paradise Plant, so electricity could be created to power homes and other buildings.

"Today is our engineering survival day," Pendergraff said.

But unlike the TV show "Survivor," students weren't competing.

Their first step involved measuring the distance.

For Joann Pfingston's early morning group, the distance from the water spigot on the tank to the bucket that signified the electric plant measured 27 feet. So, the girls went to purchase PVC pipe -- at the cost of two Smarties per foot.

Then, the girls -- wearing white safety hats -- started putting the pipes together. They had to consider downhill slope and minimizing cost as they did so.

"We need a shorter one," Anna Duff said, as her group's pipe neared the barge.

Classmate Mallory Baldwin cautioned, "We're got to measure first. ... She'll buy anything."

The group ended up using 29 feet of pipe.

"You wound up needing a little bit more for our different areas," said Pfingston, MCC work force development liaison.

When the water was turned on, it flowed from the tank and through the pipe, until it reached the plastic bucket sitting next to a bicycle. When water splashed into the bucket, Duff started to pedal. This caused the light to come on in the small wooden house attached near the handlebars.

Students in Calvin Taylor's industrial maintenance class designed and constructed the bikes -- or energy source -- as an assignment.

MCC's Community Education Department sponsored the project in conjunction with the Tennessee Valley Authority. It was based on a program developed by Dr. Steven Cobb, who's with Murray State University's College of Science and Engineering.

"I was, a lot of times, the only woman doing what I'm doing, but there are a lot of opportunities out there," said MCC manufacturing and industrial technology instructor Darlene Gallegos. "Just learn your math and science."

The girls said the project was fun.

Duff and Baldwin displayed handfuls of Smarties, saying that was their profit.

"The hardest part was measuring, and knowing what to buy," said sixth-grader Madison Cunningham.

Molly Almes said she learned how to measure better.

A few of the girls already have career ambitions. Cunningham wants to be a pediatrician; Duff hopes to become a physical therapist; and Almes wants to be a chef.

"My father had a saying, 'Girls can do anything boys can do,'" Pfingston said, "and my mom would holler, 'But better!'

"We were not limited to traditional roles," she said. "Just remember, if you can get into manufacturing, you can get into engineering, you can be anything you want to be. Don't let anything limit you."