Wayne-Westland Students Participate in Girls in Engineering Academy

The Engineering Society of Detroit (ESD) created the ESD Girls in Engineering Academy (GEA) to improve academic achievement and increase the interest in engineering among girls. The goal of (GEA) is to close the gender gap in engineering and STEAM professions and to promote engineering interest amongst girls. The first three years of the program are for middle school students and help prepare them academically for high school with a focus on mathematics, ELA, and engineering courses. The following four years, 9-12 grade, aims to prepare the girls for college, trades, and the workforce.

There are currently 17 Wayne-Westland students in GEA, with 15 students in their first year as sixth graders and two in their second year as seventh graders. The program will provide math and science enrichment, engineering and computer science concepts, English/language arts comprehension, hands-on project-based STEM activities, mentoring, field trips to industry, and engineering career exploration. Students have visited DTE, USACE and Bosch.

The second-year students stayed on Eastern Michigan University's campus for the summer. They took classes and went on field trips to GM, Lear and Marathon, where they met female engineers, learned about their companies and jobs, and worked on a challenge. At Lear, the girls worked in teams to assemble a car seat, learning about tolerances, efficiency, and quality.

"We hope through our program the students will be able to determine their passion and interests by high school graduation and to provide them with the skills they need to excel in their chosen path," said Alexandra Lofton, Program Manager, Girls in Engineering Academy.

"In the future, the girls can expect exposure to multiple campuses, including LTU, EMU, OU, and CMU, with more in the works. Engineering courses will continue from chemical, biomedical, and electrical engineering courses - all with hands-on projects. Our instructors are all STEM college students and primarily female to provide our students with role models in their fields - and to show them girls can work in these fields," she said.