CLYDE, Ohio — To get more girls interested in pursuing a career in STEM, the Whirlpool facility in Clyde invited girls from some local school districts to see STEM careers firsthand.
Eighty female middle school students from the area were invited to the Clyde Whirlpool facility by the Whirlpool Women's Network on Tuesday for an event called Women in Science and Engineering, or WISE.
It gave the young ladies in attendance a first-hand, interactive look into STEM careers in person.
"We have so many talented women here at Whirlpool that really want to show off their abilities in all different sorts of fields. We have business, engineering, science, math, accounting, marketing; it's all over," Stephanie Diekman with Whirlpool Women's Network said.
Along with a plant tour, attendees also had a Q&A with a panel of Whirlpool employees utilizing their STEM degrees.
The daughters of current employees were also invited, like Marissa Thompson, whose dad is the director of operations, but has never actually been inside the plant.
"How big, and how much engineering affects this, and how much math and science is put into making dishwashers and washers and dryers," Marissa said of what she learned.
The girls got to try out some science and engineering, by designing tiny racing vehicles from a toothbrush head, a motor and batteries.
The goal of the event was to expose the girls to these possible careers at a vital age where interest in STEM statistically begins to dwindle.
"It's really an unbelievable opportunity, just so she can see the opportunities that we have in manufacturing and see how manufacturing has changed even over the last 20 year in the US," Jason Ebert, director of operations at Whirlpool Clyde said.
If you would like to get your school district to get involved with Women in Science and Engineering, you can simply give the corporate offices at the Clyde Whirlpool facility a call at 419-547-7711.
The Get WISE event acted as the cap-off for manufacturing month at Whirlpool Clyde.
Currently, 36% of Whirlpool Clyde Operations employees are women. And, by showing them firsthand how modern manufacturing is done, the hope events like these are inspiring the next generation of workers.
Click here for a list of current job openings at the Whirlpool Clyde facility.