Innovation Generation: JETS, Motorola promote engineering careers to girls

-- Control Engineering, 12/10/2007

Alexandria, VA – Encouraging young women to pursue engineering careers has become a pressing issue in the pre-college engineering education community. To address the matter from a national scope, Junior Engineering Technical Society (JETS) has announced receipt of a $50,000 Innovation Generation Grant from Motorola Foundation to support a girl-focused initiative through a collaborative effort with the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools. Links to encouraging videos are available.

The grants fund education programs that spark an interest for science, technology, engineering, and math in youth. The purpose of JETS’ initiative is to provide materials and resources to coalition school members to inform teachers and students about careers in engineering and to help them explore, assess, and experience the profession. “Motorola’s partnership with JETS will cultivate the next generation of skilled scientists America will need and ultimately help improve our country’s future workforce,” said Eileen Sweeney, director, Motorola Foundation. “All of us at Motorola are advocates for education and applaud the work that JETS is doing to ignite an interest in science, math and engineering at an early age, particularly for girls and the underserved.”

JETS has connected with The Society of Women Engineers (SWE), Extraordinary Women Engineers Project (EWEB), and Techbridge, each providing material that promotes engineering and technology and encourages participation in programs that show how engineers make a difference. “With Motorola’s Innovation Generation Grant, JETS will be able to reach more than 100 schools, giving their students the chance to discover a career where they can truly change the world,” said Leann Yoder, executive director of JETS. “The participation of all organizations involved is an integral part of this initiative. These resources will present a positive message about engineering and related careers to each of the girls.”

The National Coalition of Girls' Schools regards science, technology, engineering and math a curriculum priority. "Putting tools in the hands of teachers is a crucial element of our strategy to promote girls' and young women's achievement in these important areas," said Whitney Ransome, NCGS co-executive director. "Our schools know that this is an important educational issue, and we are grateful for this opportunity to provide new materials they can put right to work in the classroom."
 
Packets, expected to be distributed this month, will contain:
• Engineers Can Do Anything DVD from the Engineering Education Services Center.
• EXPLORE magazine, JETS career resource publication.
• Information about the ‘girls only’ engineering Web site, from EWEP.
• Career brochures from SWE and EWEP.
• A copy of ASSESS, JETS academic diagnostic tool.
• Program information about JETS TEAMS and NEDC competitions.
• Complimentary registration for one team from each school registering for TEAMS.
• Techbridge’s Green Design curriculum and resource guide.

JETS also has an “Explore Engineering” page that includes video clips to help answer the question, “Why Engineering?”

Control Engineering offers related reading on careers in engineering.

Control Engineering News Desk
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