Earlier this spring, Pathfinders and Rangers from GGC Units across Nova Scotia got their
science on at Engineering Quest, an Engineers Nova Scotia event, offering the girls a unique opportunity to see what an engineering career is all about. As Ranger Georgia Atkin reports, the hands-on activities (including playing with Lego robots!) and networking with women in the field were a real eye opener as to the many options open to young women.
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Engineering Quest was all about giving girls the chance to explore the many career opportunities involving science, engineering and technology. There were great workshops hosted by women in various fields of work – from computer animation to mechanical engineering and the restoration of the Bluenose II. There was also a workshop about how biomedical engineering can improve life for those with disabilities. It was a real eye-opener to try specially-made utensils and a gadget for doing up buttons with only one hand.
We also had the chance to meet with all the workshop leaders and learn the different paths they had each followed to get where they are professionally today, and what sort of jobs they had done. One of them had originally planned on being a librarian!
Afterwards, everyone built a stomp-rocket, then wrote down their long-term goals for the future and attached them to the rockets. We had fun simultaneously firing them at a target and launching our futures, our view of the world just that much widened.
I’ve heard that the average young woman today will likely have at least four major career
changes in her lifetime. There are so many possibilities to choose from; it’s a little overwhelming, but every step brings you closer to finding what it is you love to do!
By Guest Blogger Georgia, a Ranger in Nova Scotia. Her passions include writing and the environment, as well as playing the celtic harp.
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