The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) at Wayne State University is pleased to host "Future SWE", a free event for high school girls aimed at increasing the enrollment of women in engineering at the college level. The event, sponsored by ExxonMobil Foundation, will take place from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28, in Wayne State's General Lectures Building. Breakfast and lunch are included. Register online by Feb. 20 at www.eng.wayne.edu/events.php?id=181.
Associate Professor Cynthia Bir of biomedical engineering and director of the Ballistic Injury Research Laboratory at Wayne State will be the event's keynote speaker. Bir, lead scientist on Fox Sports Network's Sports Science series, will discuss why she decided to become an engineer and what she has accomplished in her profession.
Founded in 1950, SWE is a nonprofit educational and service organization whose goal is to establish engineering as a highly desirable career choice for women and provides support to help them achieve their goals in the industry.
SWE recognizes that females are still highly underrepresented in the engineering profession. Young women are losing interest in math and science through each high grade level and by the time they reach high school, many girls have no interest in engineering or have misconceptions about the profession.
"Our goal is to spark an interest in engineering and similar technical fields in these girls in hopes that they will pursue a degree in engineering," said Kelly Foster, president of the Wayne State SWE collegiate section.
The event will also include leadership activities and a Q and A panel composed of Wayne State engineering students and faculty.
The College of Engineering at Wayne State, with more than 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students, offers a wide range of fully accredited engineering disciplines. Its well-respected graduates represent a large force in Michigan industry and the engineering field.
Wayne State University is a premier institution of higher education offering more than 350 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to more than 31,000 students.