Engineering Program Shows Girls Fun Side of Math, Science

The event’s workshops are designed to conform to the California Science Framework curricula adopted by the California Board of Education.

“Data regarding female competence in math and science that we have accumulated over the past eight years provides proof that girls perform at grade-level or higher in math,” said Lily Gossage, director of CSULB’s College of Engineering Recruitment and Retention Center. “We have found that much of the reason girls and young women don’t enter the engineering field is due to a lack of push toward math and science at a younger age.”

A correlation study done using data collected from more 2,400 female students during the first four years of the College of Engineering’s annual fall program Women Engineers @ the Beach showed that only 6.8 percent of participants had prior knowledge of engineering. However, after attending the event, 91.4 percent of female participants reported having a greater understanding of the field. Another survey item that assessed female students’ interest in returning for additional program participation showed an 88.6 percent positive response rate.

Engineering Girls @ the Beach, which will take place each spring semester at CSULB, was created to provide elementary school girls an event that is more age-appropriate for them. Participating school counselors have stated that the younger girls who attended Women Engineers @ the Beach in the past, which included middle and high school girls, would have felt more comfortable learning among those of the same age.