Girl's Night

At the beginning of last week, I began to hear a buzz: a hushed whisper here, a rumor there. There was a soft rumbling, much like the sound of thunder far in the distance. This rumbling was not ominous like any storm, though. This rumbling was electrified. It was exciting. It was a step in the right direction, a step in the right direction for women in engineering at Penn State.

I heard the rumor from a friend down the hall. I heard the rumor from my engineering design professor. Then, I got an invite. Last Thursday, Cheryl Knobloch (superwoman, blessed mentor, and awesome deliverer of Chinese food if you recall one of my previous posts) emailed all of the first-year women in engineering to join together for "Ladies Night" at the Learning Factory! Now let me tell you ladies, this "Ladies Night" was way better than a few glasses of wine and a rom com with a few hunky men (to all my ladies out there, I'm not even joking).

You may not believe me, but you may also not know what the Learning Factory is. The Learning Factory is all about bringing the real world into the classroom. It's like a huge invention studio with tons of power tools and free material! You can literally make anything you can dream up. For my fellow engineers out there, you may have had some fun in the shop in Hammond, but the shop cannot even come close to comparing with the Learning Factory. For my readers who totally think I'm nerding out right now, I am. 

A quick view of just a few machines in the Learning Factory - photo courtesy of Penn State

I know the big concern is that the Learning Factory is far out in West Campus, and you have to get certified. Guys, it is so worth it. Training at the learning factory took me less than 30 minutes, and I got to build something very cool for my dorm room in the remaining hour and a half I was there. Here's my suggestion: get to the Learning Factory and get certified, ASAP. Also, shoutout to my non-engineering friends, the Learning Factory is for everyone. Even if you just want to get a little crafty, this is the place to get some hands-on work done outside the classroom. 

"Ladies Night" was from 6:30 PM to 10:00 PM, but I had a prior commitment. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to go because I couldn't get there until around 8 PM, but no worries! I showed up (after wandering around a little lost for about 10 minutes) and the teaching assistants took me through training right away. I even got the individualized tour, because I was late of course. The Learning Factory really puts an emphasis on safety, but that's because they have to. My tour included a look at band saws, drill presses, welding stations, an electronics room, and a whole room dedicated to 3D printing and laser engraving. 

My engineering design teacher was leading the program, so being uncomfortable and nervous (as I always am in new situations, boo me) I sought her out of the crowd. Dr. Menold and I have become close over the past semester, and I consider her a great mentor and friend. I asked her what I could work on and what everyone was doing. She explained to me that I could make a lampshade (cooler than it sounds, trust me) or a lap desk. I decided on a lap desk (she did too), and she asked me to go in with her on material. Of course I took an opportunity to make something super cool for my dorm room and spend time with my professor! (double reward there). 

First, we cut our material in half, and then bent it (with this super cool machine that you can step on that has counter weights that just pulls this metal sheet down onto your material and bends literally anything). At this point, I was already happy with my product and I was barely getting started! 

I mean, who could look happier in a pair of safety glasses?

Now, I know that my lap desk looks like a simple piece of some material (??) with some bends in it. Cool? Yes, cool! Next, I took my basic lap desk and rounded those sharp corners because nobody wants to lay in bed and have ninety degree corners of plastic cutting into you or your nice comfy sheets. Now, this whole time, I was asking the TAs for all kinds of help, and every question I asked, they answered. So nice. 

Next, I got adopted by another engineering design professor. We saw another woman had cut a whole in her lap desk for a drink! What?! How creative. I know. If I was going to lay in bed, I wanted to be able to have a drink and watch my Netflix. (Yes, I know lap desks are supposed to be used to do work. Blah, blah, blah). She wanted a drink holder in hers too, so we again asked the TAs what to do, and they got us all the materials and gave us instructions so we wouldn't break our wrists with the drill (we only had one close call, I promise). 

The last thing I did was some sanding to make sure my product was smoother than a baby's bottom. Okay, not quite, but close enough. I ripped that white plastic off and voila! A lap desk was born, and it ended up being pretty sexy if you ask me. 

Pretty lap desk in her new home

Cupholder, AKA best design decision I made

After coming home from "Ladies Night" I couldn't have been more excited. Honestly, I probably never would have went to get my certification at the Learning Factory had I not been invited to "Ladies Night." There is a problem at the Learning Factory where women are helped too much, and feel like they cannot independently work on a project. Even my professor has been pestered by men at the Learning Factory (which, yes, it's very generous and kind and I want their help to continue being offered, but come on guys, we're capable of doing things). We hope to get women more comfortable working in this design space, so that it may be utilized effectively. 

I'm sure many of the other women felt as refreshed as I did to go to the Learning Factory and use all the high-quality tools to make a product that is actually useful and that we could keep! To spark an idea for women like me and to help us overcome the stereotypes that plague women in the STEM field, was truly an act of kindness. Cheryl Knobloch, Dr. Menold, and the other engineering design professors that joined us for "Ladies Night" just opened the door of opportunity for a large number of women engineers. Rather than waiting to get certified until our capstone classes senior year, we will have the opportunity to work in the Learning Factory for four years. Imagine how good we'll be then. 

Spending time with my professor and other women in engineering was truly a happy experience for me. Sometimes pursuing a degree as an engineer and as a woman can seem daunting, tiring, and harder than it should be, but as women, we can get out there, hand in hand, and help each other overcome the stereotypes. We can overcome the "inadequacies" "handicaps" and "inabilities" that our male counterparts often "see" in us. We can come together, empower one another, and change the face of women in STEM fields. We can change the face of the future, and hopefully, that face is of a woman.