SWE Hosts G.R.E.A.T. Day for Girls

G.R.E.A.T. Day is designed to open up young girls’ minds to the possibility of engineering as a career path.

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The Society of Women Engineers Student Section at the University of Michigan held its second annual G.R.E.A.T Day (Girls Research Engineering And Technology) on April 12th, 2014.

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Undergraduate students Ariana Mirian (computer science) and Anna Moon (mechanical engineering) were co-chairs for the event.

G.R.E.A.T. Day is designed to open up young girls’ minds to the possibility of engineering as a career path. The event took place on North Campus and included a variety of activities and demonstrations in engineering disciplines that included Computer Science and Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Civil Engineering, introducing the 6th through 10th grade students to a world that they may not have known.

In the area of computer science, the students completed a programming project using Codecademy. They were also exposed to the concept of algorithmic thinking.

CSE Prof. Rada Mihalcea and Tara Coffell, Assistant Director at the College of Engineering Career Center, spoke to parents about the importance of computer science and about engineering opportunities in general. Parents even got to try an experiment that they could take home to do with their families.

With over 80 volunteers from various organizations across campus and 240 participants from all over the Midwest, the day was definitely a success!

G.R.E.A.T. Day 2014 was sponsored by Alcoa and GE.

More photos:

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