D’Iberville freshmen have fun learning about engineering

The first “iCan! Girls in Engineering” camp of 2016 was held this week Gulfport. Twenty-four female freshmen from D’Iberville High School were selected to participate in the day-long event aimed at introducing them to a career in engineering.

Mississippi Power Vice President of Customer Services Organization Nicole Faulk opened the day by discussing the role that engineering plays in everyday life.

“When you turned your alarm clock on this morning, you touched something an engineer helped create,” Faulk said. “When you put on some makeup, got dressed, ate breakfast and got in a car or on a bus to go to school, an engineer was involved in all of those things.”

Attendees were broken up into four teams where they worked together to develop designs for lip gloss, high-heeled shoes, a motorized car and a circuit board.

“They’re seeing practical applications of chemical, mechanical, civil and electrical engineering,” Faulk said. “This event is opening their eyes to the fact that you can be an engineer and have fun at the same time.”

Female engineers from across Mississippi Power were also on-hand to monitor the work stations, and, more importantly, talk with the students about how their love of math and science led them to Mississippi Power.

“Engineering helps with everyday life,” said D’Iberville freshman Alivia Lechner. “There are many things that we use every day that I didn’t know involved engineering. It’s neat to bond with other teammates and learn to work together. Engineering is looked at as a man’s job but these women taught us that we can do this, too – and just as good.”