Outreach
SWE's Outreach mission is to create opportunities for young people to experiment with engineering activities and to spark discussion about engineering career fields. Developing an interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) will lead to more qualified young people in the pipeline for engineering jobs, which is one of SWE's strategic goals.
SWE-RVA enjoys providing volunteers for outreach events to K-12 or university groups. Our members have visited classrooms to discuss their jobs, led activities for a girls' engineering club at an elementary school, and assisted with other local STEM events.
If you have an event where you'd like SWE to volunteer, email swe.richmond@gmail.com.
Calendar
For the 2019-2020 year, we have 5 outreach events planned:
- Girls in Math Day - November 9, 2019 at the MathScience Innovation Center
- SWE@VCU Women in Engineering Panel- February 13th at the VCU Engineering Building
- Engineers Week - February 16-22, 2020 - Celebrate Engineering Ingenuity (CEI) Day at the Science Museum of Virginia
- Girls in Science camp - April 25, 2020 at the Science Museum of Virginia
- Full STEAM Ahead workshop - June 2020 at the VCU Engineering Building
SWENext is a way to become part of the Society of Women Engineers as a student through the age of 18. Joining is free.
Featured Events
Full Steam Ahead
July 29, 2019 - The summer workshop, Shedding Light on Electric Circuits, featured two hands-on engineering activities: testing out various designs for a light bulb circuit using a computer simulation and then building a working model using an electric circuit kit. Participants also heard from a local electrical engineer about her typical work day.
Students wired a light bulb circuit using an electric circuit kit.
We built lots of boats...with the top boat holding 60 pennies!
Girls in Math Day
December 1, 2018 -The Saturday event at the MathScience Innovation Center featured a marine engineering activity, What Floats Your Boat, that involved the engineering design process and math... yes, math!
Showing April 15, 2017 through June 30, 2017 at the SMV
Dream Big!
Dream Big: Engineering Our World is a HUGE film. Literally. A new film for giant screen theatres premiering in April 2017 at the Science Museum of Virginia (SMV) will show viewers how engineers push the limits of ingenuity and innovation in unexpected, imaginative, and amazing ways.
Let's Do Some Engineering
February 21, 2017 -- The after school event featured two hands-on engineering activities: a mechanical engineering activity, Ship the Chip, and an environmental engineering activity, Pollution Patrol. We also viewed and discussed a great engineering introduction video by the National Science Foundation, What is Engineering? A special thank you to the Chester YMCA for hosting the event!
The Pollution Patrol used pH test strips to locate the pollutant in the soil.
Students used various materials to protect the potato chip for shipping.
Sonya Kovalevsky Day
December 3, 2016 -- The Saturday event featured a hands-on engineering activity that involved the engineering design process and math... yes, math!
Educators Conference
June 23, 2015 - The summer event was an opportunity for grades 6-12 educators to experience an engineering design lesson to use with their students. The Tower Design Activity challenged participants to build a tower using only straws and paper clips.
STEM Day for Middle School Girls
November 22, 2014
For more photos, visit our Facebook or Instagram page!