Rob:  Well while there were lots of young females competing in this year’s FIRST Robotics competition, that’s not always the case.  Even today, many young girls are reluctant to enter math and science fields, which is something female students in OSU’s engineering department hope to change.  Joining me now is our Alisa Hines.
Alisa:  Well Rob, engineering is a high growth field.  And like you said, there’s really not that many women in it, about less than ten percent, who are actually engineers.  And that’s mainly due to the fact that girls seem to opt out of higher math and science classes in school.
Rob:  So, why do they make those choices?
Alisa:  Well there are some very qualified girls who just don’t consider engineering, mainly because they don’t know that much about it, which is why the engineering department at Oklahoma State University decided to have a day specifically designed to attract little girls to this high demand field.
Now it’s actually going to be your top, little hole on both of those.
Alisa:  For OSU’s Samantha Zacker, engineering is exciting.
Samantha Zacker:  I love solving problems (giggle).  Which, you know, there’s a lot of problems to solve in engineering.
Alisa:  And one of those problems is how to get more females involved.
Zacker:  This is very important because engineering is just such a prevalent; it’s something that’s everywhere.  Everyone does it, and especially with women.  And this is Junior Girl Scouts, so they’re female.  So getting women involved in engineering is very important now.  So I really think, you know, getting these girls involved at such a young age will get them to want to do it when they get older.
Alisa:  It’s a problem the OSU engineering department is trying to solve with Junior Girl Scout Day.
Zacker:  It’s where all these Junior Girl Scouts get to come and learn about the different disciplines of engineering.  We get to have a lot of fun.  Show them what it’s all about.
It should turn silver.
Alisa:  Using hands-on principles.
I think we need to move this out a bit.
Alisa:  The students learn engineering can be fun, and challenging.
Camryn Gardner and Abby Cerana:  We tried to make this little copper thingy spin with batteries.  
Unfortunately, ours didn’t work.
But mine did.
Alisa:  Building an interest in engineering, one girl at a time.
We can change the design, if you want.
Alisa:  And in today’s economy, a job in an engineering field is a secure and high paying one, especially since society will always need engineers to solve problems and come up with new ways of doing things Rob.
Rob:  Now from what I read, Alisa, it’s a particularly tough time to be graduating from college, because of the tight job market.  Do those girls, that are majoring in engineering, do they seem worried?
Alisa:  Actually no, just the opposite.  Female engineers are heavily recruited, because the industry recognizes the need for diverse teams.  And here’s a good reason why.  Consider the seat belt.  It was designed by a strictly all male team.  So when the seatbelt was first introduced, it was based on the average male size.  So women and children weren’t considered, and that made the seatbelt very dangerous for them.  So if the team had been a more diverse team, that flaw might have been found out ahead of time.
Rob:  So the diverse team?
Alisa:  Offers better solutions.
Rob:  All right, thank you, Alisa.  Well, now earlier, I sat down with two experts who prepare teachers to help their female students become more interested in science and math.  To see that interview, simply head to our website; and at the very top, click on value added.