New York, New York – Re-engineering electronic devices and toys for disabled children. That was the goal for this past summer's EDGE - Educating Girls For Engineering program. For the third consecutive year, high school girls from around the U.S. came to Union College in Schenectady, New York. EDGE hopes to encourage academically talented young women to pursue engineering studies in college. 21 juniors and seniors were chosen through a rigorous application process including essays, transcripts, and letters of recommendation. The highly select group of girls started their summer session by visiting Schenectady's Northwoods at Hilltop Brain Injury Rehabilitation Center where they met with patients and began to re-design everything from stuffed animals to TV remote controls. This is the EDGE story. Jim Horne reports from New York. (10:25)
Featured in this story: Karen Williams, Professor, Department of Biology and EDGE Program Coordinator, Union College, Schenectady, New York; Michelle Canastrachi, Physics and Engineering Teacher, Colonie Central High School, Colonie, NY; Natalie, Student, St. Paul, Minnesota; and Meredith, Student, Seneca Falls, NY
*(More information about the EDGE program is available at the following website: .) For more information, visit the Women In Science On The Air! website at www.womeninscience.org.
Powerful Signals: Transforming the Role of Women and Girls In Science and Engineering was made possible by support from the National Science Foundation.