Prince William Students Explore Technical Careers
More young women are pursuing technical careers than ever before, and Lockheed Martin wants this trend to continue. To attract more females to the engineering field, the lead systems integrator and information technology company hosts an annual Women in Engineering Day for students.
"We want to make sure that they [young women] understand that there are opportunities for them in engineering and what those jobs are, so that they don’t shy away from math and science courses as they do typically in their junior and senior years," said Denise Saiki, Director of Technical Operations at Lockheed Martin. Ms. Saiki helped coordinate Women in Engineering Day at the company's Manassas offices.
Approximately 40 girls from Prince William high schools and other area public and private schools were selected by their guidance counselors and teachers to attend this year's event based on their high achievement in math and science.
Activities focused on different aspects of engineering and gave participants hands-on experiences. Students also got the rare opportunity to tour five of Lockheed Martin’s labs. At each stop on the tour, a guide was on hand to share information about the engineering skills used in the labs.
Elizabeth Walls, a sophomore at Battlefield High School, was one of the Prince William students to attend the Women in Engineering Day.
Click on this image to see a video clip and hear from Elizabeth Walls about her experience.
For a closer look at this year's Women in Engineering Day, watch School Focus on Channel 21 beginning Monday, December 19.
12/20/05
