Daily Pioneer News

PLATTEVILLE - The University of Wisconsin-Platteville Women in Engineering program was able to purchase tools for their Engineering a Girl tool workshop through the grant funding provided by partnerships with the Alliant Energy Foundation and Dubuque Racing Association (DRA).

Tammy Salmon-Stephens, director of the Women in Engineering program at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, works with her students and within the community to increase women's awareness and confidence of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) related fields through various programs.

One such program is a mentoring project called Engineering a Girl tool workshop. UWP women volunteers seeking degrees in STEM fields sponsor the workshop. This program is in its fourth year and has impacted over 400 adolescent girls between the ages of 13 and 23. This program allows UWP to purchase tool kits containing 150 to 200 tools per kit, for area schools. Then UWP women students put on workshops teaching the middle and high school aged young women how to use the tools. The workshops range from general introduction to various tools, general introduction to various hardware, hands-on application and experimentation of tools and hardware.

Brian Southwood, Assistant General Manager of Dubuque Greyhound Park & Casino, is also the coordinator of the Dubuque Racing Association grant committee. "One of the things that the committee recognized about this program is the diversity component of this program. It gives the students the opportunity to gain exposure to the sciences, and allows them to try something new and see if they are interested in engineering or other science-related fields. The program teaches young women that engineering is not just for males," said Southwood.

According to the U.S. General Accounting Office, "Some researchers suggest that the shortage of women pursuing degrees in science is due to a lack of preparation and mentoring. Recent research reported that women are not adequately prepared in K-12 or undergraduate school, so they lose interest in the sciences ... Some of the women students and faculty with whom we talked reported that a strong mentor was a crucial part of their academic training."

Marthea Fox is executive director of the Alliant Energy Foundation located in Madison. "We are very pleased to have supported the Society of Women Engineers at UWP. It is our hope that our contributions provide support for the students currently pursuing engineering degrees and that those students in turn encourage incoming students to also pursue engineering careers. Our industry and our company depend on engineers in a variety of fields. We recognize that the need for engineers is growing at an exponential rate and greatly appreciate UWP and the Society of Women Engineers for all they are doing to address the need," commented Fox.

Darlington, Lancaster and Platteville were the first schools to use the Engineering a Girl program. UWP women in STEM fields gave workshops to teachers, community members and young women in each of the school districts. Eventually, the schools become independent of UWP and are able to facilitate the workshops with help from community members and the school district.

"The women engaging in these programs are gaining practical knowledge and appreciation for people in service industries. The role modeling between the college students and the middle and high school students is very valuable for all parties. Because these workshops are done for girls, by girls, there is no pressure or nervousness to learn something new. It builds confidence in a safe learning environment. This is a fun program and the concept is easily adaptable to any school's current situation," commented Salmon-Stephens.

The Alliant Energy Foundation has supported the University of Wisconsin Platteville Foundation through its Matching Gifts Program, Partnership Program and Community Grants Program. Since 1998, employees of Alliant Energy and The Alliant Energy Foundation have donated more than $50,000 to the UWP Foundation through its Matching Gifts Program. The Alliant Energy Foundation has also supported the UWP Foundation for their ArtsBuild project, FIRST Robotics project and continuing education projects.

The DRA has given $7 million for educational programs and over $32,000 to UWP in the 15 years they have been capable to award grants to the community. This funding supports the DRA mission, which is to help assist non-profit and charitable organizations that will enrich the community.

For more information about the Engineering a Girl program, contact Salmon-Stephens at (608) 342-1563.

Contact: Tammy Salmon-Stephens, director, Women in Engineering, (608) 342-1563, salmont@uwplatt.edu

Prepared by: Lisa D. McLean, UWP Public Relations, (608) 342-1194, mcleanl@uwplatt.edu