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By Emily van der Heijden
Emily van der Heijden is currently studying in France as part of the third year of an MEng course in Electrical and Electronic Engineering at The University of Bristol. In her sixth form at Monmouth Comprehensive School, Emily helped pilot ‘Dragonfly’ - a girls-only module that feeds into the ‘Insight at Headstart’ programme. Dragonfly girls are automatically accepted for Insight and her visit to Colorado is part of an initiative to offer selected students a free place at Colorado’s summer school. Emily is a student member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology
“After spending three weeks in summer supervising 16 and 17 year-olds at Headstart courses around the UK, my mission in August was to visit the University of Colorado at Boulder, USA to observe their High School Honours Institute as an ambassador for Headstart, and to meet some of their campaigners for Women Into Science and Engineering. HSHI is similar to Headstart in the UK.
Nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, the first thing I noticed about Engineering at CU Boulder (as they call it) was the sheer scale. Whereas Headstart courses accommodate 40 students on average, Colorado welcomed 275 students with 40 student helpers and 30 representatives from industry - not to mention many faculty staff giving time to introduce engineering. This logistical nightmare was amazingly well organised so that every student had an opportunity to try two out of nine engineering disciplines over three days, with lab, lectures and field trips, plus opportunities to quiz the industry representatives.
During my week at Boulder I attended several field trips, including Valmont Power Station, The National Centre for Atmospheric Research (NCAR, with an 8 TeraFlop Supercomputer) and Seagate Storage Products. I saw shock and vibration tests and became thoroughly confused by talk of millionths of an inch tolerances! Not only were the site visits stimulating, they also gave me the chance to talk to industry representatives and to find out what it is like to be an Engineer in the United States.
It soon became clear that professional engineers in the USA have a better profile than those in the UK. The public seems to appreciate the work of engineers and have a better feeling for what their job is. Americans seem to recognise that engineering is a well-paid, high status profession and is something that parents encourage their children to consider seriously as a career option.
This made me think why the situation is different in Great Britain. Part of the answer may lie with the industry reps: they give their time willingly by returning to university at their employers' expense to promote engineering and enthuse young people. Many of the representatives were Boulder alumni, clearly marked out by their sense of loyalty and pride in the university.
Others were ‘Boulderites’ living in the area who want to contribute something to the community and the future of engineering. And it was not only time and expertise they were giving: alumni donations raised $1.6 million for the College of Engineering and Applied Science at CU Boulder last year.
It is precisely this generous spirit which enables Boulder's excellent Women Into Engineering Program (WiEP) to function as well as it does. I was met on the Sunday by Dr Bev Louie, Director of their ‘Women into Engineering’ programme, who was holding a welcome brunch for girls and their parents.
University staff were available, along with lots of literature and of course pastries and coffee. This warm welcome was a brilliant way to introduce the girls and their families to the support services that would be available. These include a 24-hour resource and study centre, scholarships and financial aid, regular lunch meetings for students and staff, and of course advice and tutoring.
I was struck by a sense of community, providing a real support network and chance to get to know the staff better. And all on a Sunday morning! This level of personal and financial investment in outreach programmes is not easy to find at all UK universities. With a few exceptions, the majority of academics that I have met in my short career as an engineering student have been more interested in their research than giving time to organise events for students. However, it wasn't just students already at university that were catered for. In the interests of increasing diversity, outreach programmes run by the university include a lot of work with local schools, and even an engineering badge for local Girl Scouts.
The real difference is the way academics at CU Boulder are willing to take on extra curricular activities and to give younger people the chance to blossom. The outreach programmes at Boulder take a grass-roots approach, getting into schools at an early age to ensure that the general public appreciates the work of an engineer, and hence young people understand what engineering is all about, and consider it seriously as a career choice”
Pictured Above: Valmont Power Station: standing next to the coal-fired steam generating unit on a 30°C+ day! Emily (far right) with Al Bernstein of the Bureau of Reclamation (3rd from Left) and Karen Zrebiec of Lexmark International |
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