Young women from the Massapequa School District who excel in math and science broadened their knowledge of engineering and computer science by participating in the second annual “Introduce a Girl to Engineering” event at New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) Old Westbury Campus.
Hosted during National Engineers Week, the event aims to increase awareness and interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields in middle and high school young women by showcasing the successes and accomplishments of NYIT students, faculty, and alumni from its School of Engineering and Computin
g Sciences. The ultimate goal is to encourage young women to consider careers in engineering and computer science.
Keynote speaker Barbara Porter, an NYIT alumna and chief technology officer at FragranceNet.com, encouraged students to take advantage of the many opportunities available in the fields of engineering and computer science. Hands-on interactive demonstrations led by NYIT’s engineering students had attendees flying drones, operating Nao humanoid robots, coding, and making ice smoothies via a human-operated bike blender.
“It was very inspiring to hear how Ms. Porter started her career in computer science and how she rose to her current position,” said Massapequa High School senior Shannon D’Andrea.
Classmate Christina DeLuca said she was “thrilled” to meet with members of the NYIT VEX robotics team and discuss ideas that she could bring back to her VEX robotics team at Massapequa High School.
Freshman students from the Massapequa High School-Ames Campus were equally enthralled with the event.
“This experience really opened my eyes to just how much there is to the world of engineering and it really helped me consider doing something in this field,” Krystal Wheaton said.
“I got a clearer picture of what my future could be,” said classmate Ella Schnee. Marveled by the bike blender demonstration, she added, “I’m going to build that bicycle at home.”
—Massapequa School District
