OU Hosts Interactive Learning Event for Middle School Girls

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In October, more than 100 middle school girls from local and statewide schools visited the University of Oklahoma campus to learn more about engineering. The GLAMS program – Girls Learning and Applying Math and Science – introduced young women to the field using interactive hands-on activities led by OU engineering students.

Hands-on activities included learning about Boolean logic by creating circuits to turn on a light and exploring electromagnetic fields using magnets and a battery to move a copper wire design.

Sponsored by OG&E, eight OG&E employees helped host the students in the hopes of boosting the number of women studying engineering – currently, only 25% of students in the OU Gallogly College of Engineering are women.

“As a woman in a STEM career myself, inviting girls and young women to explore and get excited about STEM concepts is a passion of mine,” said Andrea Dennis, vice president of transmission and distribution operations at OG&E. “The energy sector will be at its strongest when it is as diversified as it is specialized, and at OG&E we believe that bringing more women into STEM careers will further energize the energy industry.”

Middle school is the prime time to expose female students to engineering as a potential career, says Dominique Pittenger, director of the college’s Women in Engineering program.

“The beauty of the program is the connections made between all involved, from the more than 50 engineering students pursuing their degrees to the OG&E employees, all interested in expanding the perspectives and possibilities of these young girls.”

Learn more about this annual fall outreach event. | View photos and video from the event.

By Karen Kelly, OU Gallogly College of Engineering

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