ISD Introduces Eighth-Grade Girls to Engineering During Special Program

Nearly 60 ISD eighth-grade girls got a glimpse into their potential future during the district’s annual Introduce a Girl to Engineering Night inside Truman High School. During the course of the two hour presentation, the girls and their families learned about Project Lead The Way (PLTW) and robotics programs offered in the ISD, listened to UMKC engineering students and met with engineers from several prominent Kansas City area companies including Burns & McDonnell, HDR and Kansas City Power & Light (KCPL).

“As I walked around and listened to the conversations that were going on, it was a great feeling to know every word presenters said could be ‘the word’ that would change the course of one of our young ladies lives here in the ISD,” said Aaron Smith, the ISD’s career and technical education coordinator. “It was a wonderful event.”

A wide range of professionals spoke to the girls, representing the fields of civil engineering, chemical engineering, environmental engineering and electrical engineering and faced a wide range of questions from young ladies interested in following in their footsteps.

“They (the engineers) were asked about their college experience, their careers and how they ended up becoming an engineer,” Smith said, “and the students and parents loved hearing their stories.”