Rockwell Collins looks for next generation of female engineers

Rockwell Collins engineer Kirschen Seah watched with pride as girls from Cedar Rapids and Meskwaki schools took turns Monday, Feb. 21, 2011, sitting behind the advanced technology flight deck simulator at the engineering firm's Cedar Rapids office.

The simulator, which recently was featured on the History Channel program “Modern Marvels,” allows pilots to see a three dimensional view of the surrounding terrain and obstacles, regardless of visibility and weather, and is one of many pieces of aviation technology Seah helped develop.

“Every time I go on a plane, I think ‘Hey, I helped make that,'” she said.

Seah hoped to spread that feeling to some of the girls Rockwell Collins hosted Monday as part of “Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day.” The company has hosted this event for several years now as a kickoff to Engineers Week, but this is the first year an invitation was extended to the Meskwaki schools, as well as parents and teachers.

Seah said it is important for anyone planning on going into a science-related field, regardless of their gender, to have a role-model. She was lucky to have a strong engineering role-model in her father, an electrical engineer, who encouraged her to study math and science.

The flight deck simulator was the favorite part for Meskwaki High School students Essence Hoag, 14, and Lyrik Lasley, 15. Hoag is interested in possibly pursuing a career as an airplane pilot.

“It was really cool to see all the different angles a pilot can see,” Hoag said.

The trip was a great chance for the Meskwaki students to see that they didn't need to journey far from the Meskwaki Settlement in order to pursue a high-tech career, according to Meskwaki Schools Superintendent Jerry Stephens.

“This is only an hour away, so after they got their schooling, they could work here and still live on the Settlement,” he said.

The students also got to visit a virtual reality lab, where engineers can use motion capture tools to examine components in three dimensions, and an environmental testing facility, where components are subjected to extreme heat, cold and interference to test how they hold up in the field.

After lunch, the students got to create unique keepsakes to take home with them to help remember their visit. Engineers helped the teenagers create earrings using electronic parts such as resistors and capacitors.

The idea came from Rockwell Collins community relations specialist Jenny Becker who picked up the idea after receiving some capacitor earrings at a conference for women engineers.

“It's a really fun activity for the girls to learn about some of the components that go into electrical boards as well as to interact with some of the other women engineers in a non-threatening environment,” she said.

The event gets strong support from the women at the company looking to help mentor a much-needed new generation of women engineers, according to Becker.

“Our female engineering community really supports this event in such a powerful way because women in engineering are very much the minority.” she said.