Got the EDGE? These girls do
The Olin rotunda was a colorful array of posters, toys and electronic devices – ranging from an interactive Braille alphabet-singing caterpillar to a light-up baby mat – as high school girls with aspirations of careers in engineering showed off the fruits of their labor in Union's popular EDGE (Educating Girls as Engineers) Workshop.
Working in small groups, these young women re-engineered toys for children with disabilities they had visited at Schenectady's Northwoods at Hilltop brain injury rehabilitation center at the start of the program.
“They were incredible,” said Linda Almstead, a computer science lecturer and EDGE teacher, of the 21 juniors and seniors from across the country who participated. “They learned how to program; they learned microprocessors and circuits. It was exciting to see them take such a passionate interest in the field.”
Addressing the group at a farewell banquet and graduation at Orange House on the workshop's final day was Maria Klawe, dean of engineering and applied sciences and a professor of computer science at Princeton University. Klawe encouraged the girls to pursue careers in engineering, noting that engineering is an ideal field for those who love math and science and who want to be challenged, solve difficult problems, and make a real difference in people's lives.
Kathy Sauers, Manager, Foundation and Corporate Citizenship at the Northrop Grumman Corporation, also addressed the Workshop participants. EDGE is funded by Northrop Grumman.