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WOMEN IN ENGINEERING DAY
Posted: 26th June 2017Forest Hall School joined students from other local schools at a practical workshop at Sir Charles Kao UTC on Friday 23rd June 2017.
Forest Hall School celebrated International Women in Engineering Day on Friday 23rd June, with a day of practical activities, held at Sir Charles Kao UTC in Harlow, to encourage more women to take up engineering careers.
Alongside students from Burnt Mill Academy, Epping St John’s, and Sir Charles Kao UTC, a group of Year 10 girls worked on designing a product to extend our reach in the engineering workshop in the UTC building.
They began the day with inspiring presentations from current women in engineering, Laura Nicolas and Stacey Murphy from Raytheon and Dee Tress from GlaxoSmithKline, who explained how they entered their fields and what they did in their roles.
International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) was founded by the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) in 2014, celebrates the achievements of women in engineering. Currently, women make up only 9% of the engineering workforce. It is celebrated every year on 23rd June.
The students then investigated current products, including robotic arms and hand grabbers, to explore the best properties and materials. Following their investigations, they then worked in small groups to design a device. At the end of the day, the students presented their findings and Jessica Rayif-Pearson from Sir Charles Kao UTC was chosen as the winner, for her product to support engineers with completing works in hard to reach places.
Mr Hehir, Head of School said:
“Our students had a really fantastic day, and were really encouraged to look further into a potential career in engineering.
We are particularly thankful to Dee, Stacey and Laura for their time in inspiring our students”
