Creating A Successful Summer Institute For High School Girls...


Panel/Workshop:	Panel
Paper Title:	Creating A Successful Summer Institute For High School Girls
Date & Time:	06/09/03 11:10
Abstract:	The Engineering & Industrial Technologies division at Sinclair Community College has sponsored a summer institute for high school girls for nine consecutive years. The Women in Engineering Technologies (WIET) Institute is designed to provide young women opportunities for exploring careers in engineering technologies. Our presentation at the WEPAN conference would provide a review of Sinclair’s successful program and then make suggestions for starting and sustaining a new institute at other colleges. Our program began in 1994 when a grant was acquired to enable students in grades 10-12 to explore the different areas of engineering technologies. The WIET Institute is funded through a Sinclair Board Endowment Fund, the Engineering & Industrial Technologies division and the Sinclair Enrichment Center. For the last four years the WIET Institute has received a grant from the national organization of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). In addition, the local Dayton, Ohio chapter of ASCE has contributed money to support the civil engineering component of the institute. During the WIET Institute, students participate in hands-on learning activities and lab experiments in Sinclair’s state-of-the-art laboratories. They also have the opportunity to earn two credit hours for the two-week period they are attending the institute. This year thirty-seven students took advantage of the credit option that they can apply to a future degree if they attend Sinclair Community College. The WIET Institute is held the last two weeks of June each year. Students from Dayton area schools are recruited through high school teachers, counselors and WIET committee members on the Sinclair Community College campus. After students submit their application, they must attend an orientation session with their parent or guardian prior to the start of the program. Past WIET Institute participants (youth counselors) serve as guides and mentors for the students. The students are divided into groups based on grade level and past participation, with each group having their own youth counselor. Community service is one component of the WIET Institute. Students have participated in a “build” for the Dayton chapter of Habitat for Humanity. Some students have also earned community service points that are required for their high school graduation credits. Sinclair Community College is proud of the Women in Engineering Technologies Institute and we would like to share our story and format with others in order to encourage more high school girls to explore engineering and engineering technologies.
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