\nMark Demko, ArtsQuest
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Special Female Engineering Panel to Address Students on \u2018Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day\u2019<\/p>\n
BETHLEHEM, PA\u2014An all-female engineer panel celebrating \u201cIntroduce a Girl to Engineering Day\u201d Feb. 22 highlights the second year of the \u201cDream Big\u201d educational initiative at SteelStacks this February. The Lehigh Valley Section of American Society of Civil Engineers (LVASCE) and ArtsQuest have once again partnered to strengthen STEM-based education during National Engineers Week as area middle and high schools are invited to discover how engineering has helped transform our world by attending free screenings of the acclaimed educational film, \u201cDream Big: Engineering Our World,” at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks Feb. 20-24.<\/p>\n
Student screenings of Dream Big will take place Feb. 20-23 at 9 and 11 a.m., with a public screening set for Feb. 24 at 10 a.m. Following each student screening, students take part in a Q&A session with local engineers. On Feb. 22, students will have the opportunity to meet and speak with an all-female engineer panel featuring RETTEW Project Engineer Elizabeth Helsel, Harsco Industrial Patterson-Kelley Process Engineering Manager Laureen Pellegrino, Praxair Inc. Facility Superintendent Carly Scuderi and EnviroAce Founder & President Mary Rooney.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing an engineer is a great career; it provides interesting projects to work on and a good salary, but its hard work to get there,\u201d says Rooney, a member of the Lehigh Valley Section of The Society of Women Engineers who in 2017 was named the Pennsylvania Society of Professional Engineers\u2019 Lehigh Valley Chapter Engineer of the Year. \u201cJust 30 years ago, five percent of the engineering graduates were women. Now it\u2019s about 20 percent, but we still have a long way to go.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn putting forth an all-female panel, we want to make a clear statement about the success of women engineers to let our enthusiasm for our careers show. We hope the film and this panel will encourage girls in the audience to voice their questions now and to persist in school in the study of math and science. Big dreams take hard work.\u201d<\/p>\n
After last year\u2019s successful screenings of \u201dDream Big\u201d to more than 600 students in the region, ArtsQuest Education and Outreach Director Lisa Harms, LVASCE President Michael Derr and LVASCE Education and Professionals Integration Committee Chair Stephen Ressler brought the film back to SteelStacks with the hopes of exceeding 1,000 students this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cArtsQuest is thrilled to once again partner with ASCE to celebrate National Engineering Week,\u201d Harms says. \u201cThis unique collaboration utilizes the Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas as a venue for ASCE to provide free school screenings of \u2018Dream Big.\u2019 In 2017, everyone was blown away by the positive response we received from students and teachers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe film itself is amazing and unlike anything most of us had ever seen. The Q&A sessions with the panel of engineers really engaged students and got them thinking about careers in engineering. It was wonderful to see the impact this experience had on so many students.\u201d<\/p>\n
Among the school districts participating in the free Dream Big screenings so far are Allentown, Allentown Diocese, Bethlehem, East Penn and Parkland school districts.<\/p>\n
As part of each screening, teachers and educators will also receive access to a variety of educational resources including an educator guide with lesson plans for grades K-12 that align with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS); instructions for 50 hands-on engineering activities; and 10 educational videos they can incorporate into their curriculum.<\/p>\n
The innovative partnership between ArtsQuest and the Lehigh Valley Section of ASCE is an educational initiative developed by the Lehigh Valley\u2019s ASCE Education and Professional Integration Committee, which focuses on acquainting students with the practice of civil engineering by offering educational programs, presentations and activities related to the profession.<\/p>\n
\u201cDream Big\u201d is designed to educate students about the essential role engineers play in our world, help raise awareness and change perceptions about the profession, and inspire young people to consider careers in engineering. Through its strong focus on education, the film enhances students\u2019 understanding of engineering and inspires them to learn more about the \u201cE\u201d in STEM, the curriculum-based approach to preparing students for the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. The film, created by the Academy Award nominated producers of Everest and The Living Sea, takes viewers on a journey of discovery from the world\u2019s tallest building to a bridge higher than the clouds. Along the way, audiences witness how today\u2019s engineers are shaping the world of tomorrow.<\/p>\n
ArtsQuest and LVASCE are still accepting reservations from area schools for the Dream Big school screenings Feb. 20-23. Reservations can be made by contacting Harms at lharms@artsquest.org or 610-332-1389.<\/p>\n
The public screening of Dream Big will take place Feb. 24, 10 a.m., at the ArtsQuest Center cinemas for individuals who cannot attend during the week. Tickets can be reserved in advance by registering at www.lvasce.org\/events. Donations will be accepted for the Feb. 24 screening, and all ticket donations go towards costs associated with the screenings.<\/p>\n
Information and image provided to TVL by: <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\nMark Demko, ArtsQuest
\nhttp:\/\/www.artsquest.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n
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