08 November 2021
STEM Day is an annual opportunity to further the mission and purpose of Watson Institute for Scientific Engineering Research to conduct applied R&D and community engagements in STEM disciplines. This year, SciEng Research takes part in Interview an Engineer: a joint project between sibling high schools, the National Cathedral School and the Saint Albans School, in Washington, DC. Interview an Engineer matches students currently enrolled in the schools’ engineering courses with professionals across various fields of engineering, allowing students to be both more informed about and prepared for their particular engineering interests. The opportunity to Interview an Engineer in conjunction with the schools offering engineering courses is particularly impactful as most high school students are not exposed to the discipline until after they have selected a major to pursue and have enrolled in postsecondary education. The all-girls National Cathedral School is tackling an additional challenge where females represent only a quarter of the nation’s STEM workforce and only 15% of the country’s engineers.
