Y-12 hosts hundreds of students for Introduce a Girl to Engineering

Engineers Missy Webb, Lorelei Uptmore, and Jessica Davis spoke with students at Y-12’s Introduce a Girl to Engineering about their college and career experiences.

Y-12 National Security Complex hosted nearly 450 students from eighth through twelfth grades on Thursday, February 22 for 2024’s Introduce a Girl to Engineering (IGTE).

The annual event, now in its eleventh year, is one of several ways that Y-12 management and operating contractor Consolidated Nuclear Security work to engage with the workforce of the future. The students heard from a panel of female engineers, explored engineering disciplines at more than two dozen hands-on booths, and competed in a marshmallow launch.

“This is one of my favorite days of the year,” said Y-12 Educational Outreach Specialist Kristin Waldschlager. “This year we had 29 booths and 120 volunteers, including many Y-12 employees. It’s just a thrill to watch these students interact with our staff and realize they could become engineers themselves.”

Julie Cramer, senior manager for Y-12 Safety and Industrial Hygiene and president of the Women in Nuclear Oak Ridge Chapter, has been involved with IGTE since its inception. This year, she led the panel discussion for the students. “I enjoy doing this event every year. It’s inspiring to me,” she said. “It fills my cup to come and get to talk to these young ladies, inspire them, and give them some career choices.”

Students from multiple school districts
This year’s event welcomed students from 18 schools, including from school districts in Anderson, Blount, Campbell, Knox, Monroe, and Roane counties, as well as Oak Ridge and Maryville city schools.

Jocelyn, a sophomore from Anderson County High School said, “I’m the only girl in my [engineering] class at the moment, so everything they were talking about - the fear of failure, having something to prove - I resonate with that a lot, and seeing them up there talking about it made me feel like I had a connection with them.”

“My favorite part of the day was the ability to talk to all the different colleges and learn about the different fields of engineering,” said Elliot, a sophomore at Sweetwater High School. “I didn’t really realize how many different fields there were, and it was cool just to be able to talk to people who went through their college experience.”

Preparing for the future
All the fun activities and discussions have a serious goal—to encourage more women to pursue STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) degrees. Y-12 has hired several women who attended previous IGTE events as teens.

“Our mission is vital to our nation’s security, and I want to share that energy and enthusiasm with the next generation,” said National Nuclear Security Administration Production Office Manager Teresa Robbins. “We need the best and brightest to continue our mission, and the way to do that is to be here, spend time with these girls, and get them motivated and energized about their future in STEM.”

Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC operates the Pantex Plant, located in Amarillo, Texas, and the Y-12 National Security Complex, located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, for the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration. Bechtel National, Inc. is the lead member of CNS; minority members include Leidos, Inc.; ATK Launch Systems, LLC; and SOC LLC. Pantex and Y-12 are key facilities in the U.S. Nuclear Security Enterprise, and CNS performs its work with a focus on performance excellence and the imperatives of safety, security, zero defects, and delivery as promised.

For more information on each site, visit www.pantex.energy.gov or www.y12.doe.gov. Follow Pantex on Facebook, X or LinkedIn. Follow Y-12 on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.

CONTACT
Kathryn King, APR
Communications
Office (865) 315.5996
Kathryn.King@pxy12.doe.gov

Students from Lenoir City High School were among more than 400 students who attended Introduce a Girl to Engineering at Y-12 National Security Complex.

Students were able to participate in hands-on booths staffed by Y-12 engineers and other partners.

A STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) activity that involved building and testing a marshmallow launcher was a big hit with the students.