By: Terri W.
Each year, the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering and Applied Science holds its Women in Computer Science High School Day for Girls. At this year’s event, 140 Philadelphia area high school girls visited Penn Engineering to learn about the various academic and career opportunities possible in this vital field.
Women are underrepresented in computer science and engineering majors. Research shows that if girls do not have a computer scientist or engineer in the family, they often have little access to information about careers in these fields. The goal of this annual event is to show girls interested in science or math what computer scientists and engineers do, and to encourage them to study these disciplines in college.
The students heard about faculty’s current research projects and women undergraduates’ personal stories about why they selected their engineering majors and their future career plans. The packed agenda included tours of world-class engineering labs, including the Sig Center for Computer Graphics, the GRASP Robotics lab, the Penn Complex Fluids lab, the Nanotribology lab and the Haptics lab.
The Trustees’ Council of Penn Women helps to sponsor Women in Computer Science initiatives.
Photos (c) Lamont Abrams
https://www.flickr.com/photos/universityofpennsylvania/sets/72157645216048266
Frankly Penn 