Goals
The overall goal of the Partner in Engineering Program is to empower young people women to make informed and educated choices for advanced course work and careers in engineering and technology-related fields. A particular focus is increasing the number of young women entering these fields.
| "We're learning how to do all kinds of awesome things that I never knew you did in engineering. I thought it was just drawing pictures of buildings and doing (boring) stuff like that." - Potsdam Middle School, PIE participant 2000 - 2001 |
The program provides students with a greater understanding of the holistic nature of engineering problem-solving, and how a technical career impacts many different aspects of life. In addition, PIE hopes to impact and positively alter the attitudes of all students - with particular emphasis on females - toward participation in science, math, engineering, and technology-related activities, and to encourage them to consider further study in these subjects.
The project design is guided by the following goals:
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| Student's make test cylinders. |
- Provide both middle school students and college women with an appreciation of the holistic nature of engineering problem solving required to tackle real-world problems;
- Increase critical-thinking and problem-solving skills;
- Foster an understanding of engineering as a profession, and the role of women in engineering and technology-related careers;
- Provide both middle school students and college women positive mentoring experiences and opportunities to work with role models, as well as establishing ongoing mentoring relationships;
- Provide leadership opportunities for both college women and middle school girls;
- Provide opportunities for increasing
self-esteem and self-confidence by demonstrating competency with SMET
- related problems