This video from Mimi-Isabella Nwosu (@EngineerMimi_), an Assistant Materials Engineer in UK, is a fun way to dispel many of the myths that surround pursuing careers in engineering. For example, “Engineers are boring white guys,” seems to be a common misperception – and Nwosu is anything but boring, white, or a guy. Another one? “You have to be a genius to become an engineer.” For my students, this seemed to translate as, “You have to automatically understand math and be able to do it quickly in your head.” Also not true.
Nwosu’s short video is the first in a coming series from “Born to Engineer.” Don’t assume you need to be teaching engineering to show it to your students. In fact, high school may be too late if we are trying to attract more females to STEM professions. The exuberance, humor, and down-to-earth attitude that Nwosu exhibits in this video may be just the inspiration a 10-year-old may need to begin to consider getting more involved in STEM inside and outside of school.
If this interests you, here are some more engineering posts I have done in the past.
