Working in a field dominated by men can be intimidating and unnerving, but also rewarding for women. According to the American Society for Engineering, “only 19.9 percent of people who are awarded a Bachelor’s degree for an engineering program are women.” However, the school’s new engineering teachers, Patti Kulesavage and Robin Townsend want to increase that number.

  “I taught Principles of Engineering last year at Kokomo [High School], but in addition to that I worked as an engineer for 28 years,” Townsend said.  “I obviously studied engineering and worked in that male-dominated field for a very long time, so the subject comes naturally to me and doesn’t intimidate me very much.”

  Both Townsend and Kulesavage try to show their passion for educating students through their lesson planning. One goal for these teachers is to help female engineering students realize their worth and make advancements towards a career in the field of engineering.

  “From being in my class, I want all of my students to pay great attention to detail and learn how to problem solve,” Kulesavage said.  “Teamwork is also something that is very important to me.”

The engineering field has been lacking in women ever since jobs in that domain became popular. As stated by the University of California, Riverside, “because the number of women in the field is low, there are also few female leaders in engineering, which can make it difficult for new generations of female engineers to find mentors whom they feel they can relate to.”

  Kulesavage walks from the F hallway to the B hallway every day as she goes from her Algebra 1 classroom to her Intro to Engineering and Design (IED) class. Although she taught at this school last year, this year is her first time teaching an engineering class.

  “I really appreciate the environment change,” Kulesavage said.  “The adjustment was tough, but I am glad I’m doing it. It’s very rewarding to know how much I mean to my students.”

Kulesavage and Townsend hope having female teachers will encourage more female students to enroll in engineering classes. As of now, the majority of engineering students are males, but this is expected to change soon.

“I want the female students to understand that they are just as intelligent and capable as male students and I want the boys to understand that the females are just as capable as they are,” Townsend said. “If I can accomplish that, in addition to teaching [the students] to problem solve and persevere, I would feel successful.” Story by Grace Barclay. Photo by Grace Barclay.

Sources:

American Society for Engineering

University of California, Riverside