Website: http://www.njit.edu
For Immediate Release
August 6, 2003
Contact: Robert Florida
Public Relations
(973) 596-5203
florida@njit.edu
MEDIA ADVISORY
NJIT Summer Program Ends With a Bang: Fifth-Grade Girls To Launch Rockets
WHAT:The FEMME summer program (Women in Engineering and Technology Initiative), which helps girls overcome the gender gap in math, science and engineering, will end with a rocket launch. Fifth-grade girls, who studied the fundamentals of aeronautical engineering, will launch model rockets they assembled in class. Other Femme classes will display projects they designed such as roller coasters, bridges and artificial bones.
WHEN: Thursday, Aug. 7, 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
WHERE: The NJIT soccer field on the main campus.
WHY: FEMME challenges the premise that boys are better in math and science than girls, who are underrepresented in engineering – 90 percent of engineers are men. Studies also show an achievement gap separates students in affluent communities from those in low-income communities. Most of the girls in Femme are black and Hispanic and live in low-income cities and suburbs across the region.
HOW: Photographers and reporters are invited to NJIT to observe the rocket launch and the other displays. To attend, call Robert Florida at (973) 596-5203.
Editor’s Note: The girls attending FEMME live in the following towns or cities: Chester, East Orange, Elizabeth, Green Brook, Guttenberg, Harrison, Hillside, Irvington, Maplewood, Montville, Newark, North Bergen, Nutley, Orange, Paterson, Piscataway, Plainfield, Rahway, Ridgefield Park, Roselle, Schnecksville, Somerset, South Orange, Teaneck, Union, Union City, Vauxhall, Wayne and West Orange.
NJIT is a public, scientific and technological research university enrolling more than 8,800 students. The university offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees to students in 80 degree programs throughout its six colleges: Newark College of Engineering, New Jersey School of Architecture, College of Science and Liberal Arts, School of Management, Albert Dorman Honors College and College of Computing Sciences. The division of continuing professional education offers adults eLearning, off campus degrees and short courses. Expertise and research initiatives include architecture and building science, applied mathematics, biomedical engineering, environmental engineering and science, information technology, manufacturing, materials, microelectronics, multimedia, telecommunications, transportation and solar astrophysics. NJIT ranks in Tier 2 of U.S. News & World Report’s list of national doctoral universities.
