'What a difference a day makes!'
'Making a difference' gets the thumbs up from students
"Most people don't realise that engineering and computing are about finding and designing exciting and creative solutions for a wide variety of social and environmental needs, like medical advances, improving life in third world countries and contributing to a sustainable planet," said Lynette Johns-Boast, Lecturer in Software Engineering at the ANU College of Engineering and Computer Science.
To address any misconceptions amongst female high school students, the College developed a pilot project (Women in Technology: Making a Difference) in which it chose to highlight the social benefits that technology brings to the world. Year 11 and 12 students from Canberra Girls' Grammar School were the first to become involved in workshops and talks to get them thinking about this.
Staff and students at the College developed workshops, lectures and talks on biomedical engineering, robotics, software engineering, and solar renewable energy. Engineers Without Borders (much like Medecins Sans Frontieres) talked about engineering projects in developing countries, and everyone was treated to a session in the Wedge Virtual Reality Theatre which is a computer generated 3D image designed to literally put people in the picture.
"The program was very well received by students and the teachers involved," said Ms Johns-Boast.
"We aimed for a good mix of lectures and hands-on workshops, but also factored in a lot of time for school students to simply chat and mix with ANU staff and students. Having this time was enjoyable and productive. Is this an indicator of different learning styles, social, and communication skills between men and women? I'm not sure, but we learned from this too, and we will certainly be taking it into account for this and other events," she said.
What did the school students think of the day? Did it make a difference? A selection of comments in the survey afterwards included:
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"I really enjoyed learning about ways in which society is benefiting from engineering."
"It was great to get (exposed to) hands on 'real' information, rather than reading course information online. It was very helpful in determining my options."
"The sessions were great, and they went for a perfect amount of time so we never got bored or tired."
"It was all very interesting, the activities were great and the presenters were fun to work with."
"I enjoyed talking to the engineers about their studies and their careers."
"We particularly appreciated the fact that every student was able to participate in every activity offered, usually in small groups of two, three or four, so that all could gain an overview of possible career options," said Ms Marion Gilmour-Temu, Physics teacher at Canberra Girls' Grammar.
"Many of our students were most interested in the possibilities of using engineering to help community development projects, and also in biotechnology, bearing out the importance of the human aspect in attracting girls to science," she said.
"The emphasis on people management skills in the study program fitted into this very well, and we will draw on this when discussing career choices with students in the future," she said.
This special program will be expanded to other schools that are interested in participating in 2008.
Email or talk to us about becoming involved as places will be limited.
T: 02 6125 0677E: Student Services
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Women in Technology
