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The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is hosting its ninth annual “Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day” for the first time in a free, virtual format on Saturday, Feb. 27.

 “With this year’s virtual event, we are taking what makes the normal, in-person event successful and translating that to a virtual setting in as many ways as possible,” said SWE President Emma Schleeper, a Golden Eagle native.

Event activities will feature the engineering disciplines of civil, industrial, electrical, mechanical and computer science in pre-recorded videos. “Traditionally, engineering students and engineering professionals volunteer in the activity rooms,” said Schleeper, a senior industrial engineering major. “To provide that perspective in a virtual format, engineering students will be managing the activity videos. Engineering professionals are making videos about their careers to share. We also plan to spotlight SIUE School of Engineering student organizations and build teams.” 

 “We decided on this strategy to make the event as accessible as possible,” Schleeper said. “We want students to be able to go at their own pace with the activities, and we think this will be especially beneficial for students who may be intimidated by the normal, large in-person events or the pace and length of the day.”

All the content will become available at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 27 on YouTube. The videos will remain online for use at any time on or after the event date. To access, search YouTube for SIUE Society of Women Engineers.

“This will also be a great resource for teachers, as they can take the activities and professional videos into their classrooms on their own schedule,” Schleeper said. “It will serve as a lasting resource for students, parents and teachers.” 

Interested guardians or educators can sign up for SWE emails to directly receive all the information at: forms.gle/dpkArxCWwDGdiYUm8. Additionally, SWE will be sharing event information on Facebook at facebook.com/swesiue/.

“I’m particularly excited to make this opportunity more accessible for a larger group of students, who may usually be unable to attend due to cost or any number of barriers that prevent young students from considering the STEM field,” Schleeper said. “Additionally, in a difficult financial year for many families, we’re happy to be able to provide this free virtual event.”

SWE will not be providing materials as they have in the past. To keep the event highly accessible, all necessary materials are either common household items or inexpensive items to pick up at the store. A materials list will be posted on the SWE Facebook page soon.

For more information, contact the SWE at swesiue@gmail.com. 

Photo: Students participate in the 2020 SIUE Society of Women Engineers Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day at the School of Engineering.