Several employees recently participated in two events designed to help students explore the field of engineering.
“Barbie Be Anything” Girl Scout Event
A small group of employees volunteered on the afternoon of Sunday, January 23 to help Girl Scout Daisies and Brownies (kindergarten through third grade) learn more about some of the many careers Barbie has had over the years.
The focus of the “Barbie Be Anything” event was science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) exploration. As board members for the Girl Scouts of Central Indiana, Olivia Hawbaker, Manager of Water and Wastewater Capital Planning and System Renewal, and Debi Bardhan-Akala, Director, Regulatory Affairs, recruited a few coworkers who also have backgrounds in engineering to volunteer at the event.
At the "Barbie Be Anything" event, volunteers Sara Mamuska-Morris and Jennifer Bailey (top right, left to right) Susan Harris (above, left), and Becky Schaefer (above, right) led Girl Scouts through a marshmallow-and-toothpick-tower activity.
Becky Schaefer, Director of Supply Chain; Jennifer Bailey, Director of Treasury; Susan Harris, Director of Quality Systems; and Sara Mamuska-Morris, Director of Special Projects, led the Girl Scouts through a marshmallow-and-toothpick-tower activity that Alex Haberfield, Public Outreach Coordinator, helped plan with the volunteers.
“We worked with the girls to build structures, talking to them about how to make the structures stable,” said Bailey. “We encouraged them to be creative and think of how other building materials might have changed their structures.”
National Engineers Week Presentations
Each year, the Indiana section of the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC Indiana) organizes a volunteer event for National Engineers Week, which is celebrated during the third week of February. The council seeks employees from member companies who are willing to present to students about careers in engineering.
ACEC Indiana reports that 74 percent of educators feel that students do not have many chances to meet engineers. To address this issue and recognize National Engineers Week, the council connects engineers with educators every year. ACEC Indiana arms volunteers with a toolkit including presentation templates, tip sheets, and talking points to increase students’ understanding of and interest in engineering careers.
Citizens Energy Group employees have participated for several years. The following employees presented to students this year:
- David Clark - Eman School (Fishers)
- Bruce Cooley - Carmel High School
- Susan Harris - Pike High School
- Mark Jacob - Franklin Community High School
- Joe Nagy - Franklin Community High School
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“Citizens for Good” stories highlight how Citizens Energy Group is supporting and engaging with our community. If you are active in the community outside of opportunities provided through Citizens, we encourage you to submit your volunteer hours on the Citizens for Good portal at https://citizensenergy.sharepoint.com/sites/Volunteering.
