University of Toronto: Engineering and Girls

Here is a very cool news article about girls in engineering, from University of Toronto. Girls are smart, they work hard and have all the tools they need to succeed in engineering and computer science. We need to encourage them to do well in all technical subjects. Girls add a new dimension to technical fields, a new way of looking at situations, and a new way of reacting to new problems. Go girls! Big Weed makes her mark in the world.

Back at the University of Toronto, the children’s science course instructor, Michaela Tai, explains the dangers of incorrectly connecting a circuit.

“You do not want to do that,” she says. “You do not want a short circuit.”

About 30 minutes later, one child screams “Smoke! It’s smoking!”

There is no visible smoke, but it is a short circuit. So the children quickly make another one.
Tai, a second-year industrial engineering student, uses the mishap to explain to the kids that failure is an important part of science. Fixing those failures builds confidence, she says, something many girls lack early on. But that changes quickly with experience — experience that is gained at programs such as these.

“I tell the girls, ‘Look how well you’re doing now,’” Tai says.

“You can ask questions, don’t be afraid, and don’t be afraid to explore new things.”

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