The Society of Women Engineers works to promote diversity in the engineering and tech professions, upholds an inclusive environment, advocates for the inclusion and success of women, both present and prospective, in engineering and works to develop women engineers at all stages in their personal and professional lives.
NIU’s Society of Women Engineers works to uphold these values by volunteering at Sycamore Middle School at an all girls STEM club, G-Force. G-Force works to encourage and inspire girls to pursue their passions for STEM. As a club we help the girls with homework, help set-up and run labs, and share our experiences as women in STEM. Getting to talk to the girls about their passion for STEM is a great way for us as a club to help inspire and encourage the next generation of STEM students.
Society of Women Engineers values being able to be mentors and role models for our community so that any girls wanting to pursue STEM degrees and careers can have someone to look up to that they can see themselves in.
This past semester we assisted the girls in a national challenge to solve an environmental problem in our community. For this challenge we helped to research environmental problems in our community, determined that the environmental issue our community faces is flooding, and designed solutions to the environmental problem using the engineering design process.
This semester we are working on implementing the solutions we have come up with to the flooding in our community. Our goal is to plant a wetland garden to help slow the flow of water before it reaches the Kishwaukee River. This would help slow flooding in the area due to the native plants that will be planted and slow the amount of debris that ends up in the Kishwaukee River. G-Force also hopes to provide rain barrels to everyone in the community and install a supply of dog waste bags along walking trails to encourage dog owners to pick up their pet’s waste to clear up the path.
“The first time I learned about engineering was from my brother who graduated from civil engineering when I was a kid. At the time, I didn’t know exactly what it entailed but I knew building bridges was a path that could be taken and how important it was to have people to work on the structures and keep them safe and usable for the public. Once I started thinking about what I wanted to do as a career, I knew right away that I should research different types of engineering. Mechanical or electrical never really appealed to me but as soon as I found biomedical, something stuck in my head that sounded appealing. I liked the idea of being involved in the medical industry in a different way than becoming a doctor or nurse, while also pushing myself into a degree that I knew would constantly challenge me. Although the degree hasn’t always been as fun as it was a challenge, every class I took showed me that I made the right choice from the beginning. Through classes I learned that biomaterials were a special interest I took. Being able to make a medical device better or create an alternative is the direction I want to look in the next few years, while also keeping my eyes open for tasks I have never thought of before that might interest me.”
- Lauren Gratzke
NIU’s Society of Women Engineers values being able to mentor girls at the middle school level so that we can help encourage the students to pursue STEM careers and to also show them that they are capable of achieving their goals in STEM. Research done by the Society of Women Engineers National found that in 2017 the percentage of freshman undergrad students who intended to pursue degrees in STEM was 27.9% men and 9.5% women. While this percentage is growing it is still significantly lower for women than it is for men. Professionally, women in engineering make up 13% of the engineering workforce. By mentoring at the middle school level NIU’s Society of Women Engineers hope to help create change and see these percentages grow with the next generation.
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About the Authors:
Courtney Shimp - I’m a mechanical engineering major graduating Spring 2024. I first learned about engineering as a major and career in middle school at a career day event. A large portion of my decision to study mechanical engineering happened due to a job shadow I was able to complete in high school. I job shadowed a female engineer and it was an eye-opening experience that what I wanted to achieve was possible. I plan on working in the aerospace industry specifically with product and process design.
Cindy Gomez - I am a senior majoring in Electrical Engineering. After I graduate from NIU my next step will be to start working at Collins Aerospace as a Systems Engineer in Power & Controls. My plan is to go back to school to get my Master's degree in engineering management. My mom encouraged me to pursue engineering as a major, but I did not feel interested in pursuing it. Like any parent who wants the best for their kids she introduced me to engineers who work with her at Abbott. After speaking with them I learned more and more about engineering and decided to give it a try. I signed up for the Pathways Program with my high school and started taking an Introduction to Engineering Course. In this course we were given different projects to work on throughout the year. We used SolidWorks to design different things to 3D print. We also were taught to use different machines like a laser cutter, 3D printer, Saw Machine, and many others. I had a lot of fun learning about engineering design principles and seeing my designs come to life so I decided to take the class that proceeded after. This was a Digital Electronics class where we learned how to use circuit design software to build basic electrical circuits. We also were taught how to use a voltage supply and build a circuit using a breadboard. I absolutely loved this class so much that I started to think about majoring in electrical engineering. Thanks to my parents I am now a senior majoring in electrical engineering and learned that is my passion!
Lauren Gratzke - I have spent the last five years at NIU studying biomedical engineering. I am currently a senior, set to graduate in Fall 2022. I have been in a number of clubs over the years, one of them being the Society of Women Engineers and having the privilege to serve as the club’s vice president for the year. Being in engineering has allowed me to meet many people that will be connections for a long time.
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