Girls learn about engineering
When Ebony Kelly arrived at the "Introduce a Girl to Engineering" program Saturday, she certainly didn't expect to have a role in an experiment involving liquid nitrogen - and bubble gum.
Longtime Savannah River Site engineer Douglas Leader invited the Paul Knox Middle School eighth-grader to chew the bubble gum and blow a bubble. Ebony did so and placed the gum in its original paper. Leader dropped it into a container with a small amount of liquid nitrogen with a temperature at least 320 degrees below zero.
Two minutes later Leader carefully removed the gum and used a hammer to smash the temporarily hardened gum into tiny pieces, as Ebony and other eighth-graders looked on in amused surprise.
"That was really weird," she said, "but it was fun."
Savannah River Nuclear Solutions and the Society of Women Engineers co-sponsored the annual event in conjunction with the Ruth Patrick Science Education Center. About 35 girls from CSRA middle schools participated in a series of activities intended to enhance their knowledge and interest in the engineering field. They also got a chance to meet girls from other schools with similar interests.
"Engineers like to solve problems," said SRS staffer Jaclyn Spear. "It's important to learn to work in groups, perhaps with people you don't know. Engineering also is a good basic education, and you don't have to be an engineer your whole career."
The students were nominated for the event by their teachers. Angel Holston of Aiken Middle School said her uncle works at SRS and is a big influence.
"I've been wondering what I would want to do," Angel said. "My uncle wants me to follow in his footsteps. This really is exciting."
The girls took an informal career inventory, played with a robotic dog that walked and rolled over and practically purred when touched in the right place. They also got a chance to play a computer research game called Energyville, in which they got their own cities with the responsibility of finding energy sources to power them.
Elena Gentile, a URS Washington Division engineer, helped set up the computer project.
"The entire day is a great example of showing any girl that she can become an engineer," she said. "My dad was an aeronautical engineer, and I took some gifted and talented classes in middle school. I got into taking things apart and thought it would be just as much fun putting them back together."
The other Aiken County area participants included Danielle Brown from A.L. Corbett Middle School, Haley Bryant and Katheryne Hollifield from Merriwether Middle School, Tiana Chandler and Marquitta Dashiells from Leavelle McCampbell Middle School, Najee Cobbs and Erin Simmons from Kennedy Middle School, Taylor Dodson and Celeste Terry from New Ellenton Middle School, Rebecca Fanning, Brooks Inman and Aarial Farmer from Schofield Middle School, Harley Fincher from Aiken Middle School, Kristy Heath from Paul Knox Middle School, Arielle Houston from North Augusta Middle School, Victoria Jarrard from LBC Middle School, Ebony Johnson and Shaquana Miles from JET Middle School and Aubree Justus and Amber Swygert from Jackson Middle School.
Contact Rob Novit at rnovit@aikenstandard.com.