'Minorities in Engineering Day' sponsored by Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin employees recently introduced more than 50 minority students to career possibilities in engineering.

Students from seven local high schools participated in the company's third annual "Minorities in Engineering Day" event at its Manassas facility.

On Feb. 20, students from Prince William and Fauquier Counties spent the day learning about the many career opportunities offered in the field of engineering and qualifications needed to become an engineer.

The students participated in a hands-on engineering challenge designed to build skills in teamwork, problem-solving and the ability to work within specific constraints and requirements.

For the challenge, the students built a protective container for an egg drop experiment. The success of the container was judged on total cost, design and how well the egg was protected from damage.

Materials provided included foam board, cotton balls, rubber bands and bubble wrap. Each material was assigned a cost and teams were required to meet specific design

elements in order to present a real world engineering challenge.

In addition to the team building activity, students toured high tech labs, spoke with a panel of engineers with various levels of experience and met with representatives from several universities including George Mason University, George Washington University, Norfolk State University, University of Maryland College Park, University of Vir-ginia and Virginia Tech. The representatives provided information about educational and professional opportunities in engineering.

"Our direct involvement and interest in high school students' math and science learning experiences is a win-win for the student and for Lockheed Martin," said Denise Saiki, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin's Manassas-based business. "We enjoy participating in events like 'Minorities in Engineering Day' because they provide an opportunity for students to interact directly with our engineers and hopefully spark their interest in pursuing a technical career."

"I love the Minorities in Engineering and Women in Engineering events because they allow us to see engi-neers in their working environment," said De-Shonda Monee White, a senior at Gar-Field High School. "This is important when deciding a career path."

Lockheed Martin engineers also look forward to the annual event.

"Several of my co-workers have approached me and said they wish a program like this existed when they were in high school,' said Nathan Davis, a Lockheed engineer who coordinated this year's event. "I am now hearing about students who have attended one of our engineering days accepting internship offers with Lockheed. There is no higher gratification than to see the positive impact on a young adult's life."

-- Bennie Scarton Jr.