Each year, in conjunction with National Engineering Week, Maui Economic Development Board’s (MEDB) STEMworks™ program offers their popular Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day (IGED). This year, MEDB hosted 120 young minds from across Maui County including Molokai and Lanai. During the program, participants did hands-on experiments and learned about the various engineering careers and the contributions engineers make to the community. The students, teachers and engineers enjoyed a successful day of learning, sharing, and inspiration.
“IGED places girls in a better position to shape their future through innovation and diversity in a growing economy,” said Leslie Wilkins, MEDB President & CEO. “Connecting students to the real world paves the way for genuine learning opportunities, giving them a chance to work in integrated teams with a variety of skills.”
Lalaine Pasion, STEMworks Program Specialist, noted, “Middle school girls were shown how engineers are the inventors and problem-solvers of the world. A special shoutout goes to the 20 engineers from organizations including the University of Glasgow, NSO/AURA, Battelle, Hawaiian Electric, Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, National Solar Observatory, Morikawa & Associates, Privateer, and AFRL Space Force. Their involvement brought invaluable real-world STEM experiences to our students, opening their eyes to the vast possibilities within engineering.”
IGED supports girls as they explore different engineering career pathways. They were given engineering kits for the breakout sessions on different subjects that included electrical, aerospace, and mechanical engineering. The students built rockets, microscopes, and speakers to play music on. A 7th grader from Lahaina Intermediate shared, “I really loved how we all worked together and made something new. The 5×5 Industry Networking Session gave us the chance to ask questions and engage with all the STEM professionals.”
Maui resident Sophia Davis, a STEMworks alumnus and a bioengineering student at the University of Glasgow, shared, “I gained so much from the STEMworks programs growing up, that of course, I want to give back and hopefully inspire more girls to pursue an engineering path as I did. Thank you MEDB for the remarkable opportunities you gave to me and continue to give to students throughout Hawaii.”
I gained so much from the STEMworks programs growing up, that of course, I want to give back and hopefully inspire more girls to pursue an engineering path as I did. Thank you MEDB for the remarkable opportunities you gave to me and continue to give to students throughout Hawai‘i. Sophia Davis, a STEMworks Alumnus and a Bioengineering Student at the University of Glasgow
