Big build up
WARRENDALE — The energy was high in the XTO Energy office Friday morning as girls from Butler Intermediate High School raced to create a tower of playing cards that could support a handful of pennies.
It was part of a hands-on experiment for “Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day” hosted by XTO Energy at its Warrendale office.
More than 40 Butler girls in seventh through ninth grade led by teachers Dave Andrews and Breit Cochran gathered to learn about engineering and science careers and participate in two hands-on activities designed to showcase the real-world applications of science, technology, engineering and math.
“This is aimed at interesting and exciting girls about engineering and opportunities in the oil and gas industry,” said Karen Matusic, manager of public and government affairs with XTO Energy, a subsidiary of ExxonMobil.
For the first activity, the girls were tasked with creating a structure from two decks of playing cards that would simulate an off-shore oil rig. The structure had to be able to support 11 pennies, representing people, at the top.
The team with the tallest structure supporting all the pennies created in 25 minutes would win. Some teams went for a tall tower with little stability, while others went for a lower, more stable structure.
XTO employees circulated around the room to help as needed.
“It's refreshing to see them figure things out and see their thought processes,” said Lauren Manion, a geologist with XTO. “They figured out stuff way better than I did.”
Manion became interested in geology in college after taking an introductory course, but wishes she'd had an opportunity like this to explore careers and STEM applications early on.Before the two activities, the girls sat in on a panel of XTO employees — engineers, geologists and regulatory affairs staffers — as they explained what their jobs are, how and why they got into the field, and other opportunities in the industry.“We're opening up a whole world of potential careers,” Andrews said.“Engineering is all about problem-solving,” Cochran added. “A lot of the jobs these girls will have don't even exist yet. But you'll always need problem-solving.”This is the fifth year the Butler students have taken part in the day celebrating women in engineering and science, Andrews said. The students were chosen to participate from the enrichment studies honors program by their teachers.There were 37 seventh and eighth graders and seven ninth grade mentors who had participated in the program in the past. Andrews said the girls love the program and do a great job showing off their creative thinking, teamwork and problem-solving skills.“We're trying to break the stigma that engineering is for boys,” he said.
