Penn State Behrend Hosts 150 Girls in Engineering Event

More than 150 high school girls in grades 10 and 11 took part in hands-on STEM challenges at Penn State Behrend.

Updated on Nov. 14, 2026 in Secondary Education

Bold vector editorial illustration of a cardboard pipe curving across a cream field with a small ball at its mouth, suggesting a launch path. — More than 150 high school girls in grades 10 and 11 tackled hands-on engineering challenges at Penn State Behrend in Erie on Tuesday, building pipelines and launching balls as part of an effort to draw more women into the field. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Penn State Behrend hosted more than 150 high school girls for a hands-on engineering event. Participants completed the National Fuel Pipeline Challenge and the Ball Launcher Challenge while working alongside women already in the field.

Why it matters

The event aims to increase women's representation in engineering before they reach college. Early exposure to STEM careers gives students in Erie and the surrounding region a concrete look at engineering work.

More than 150 girls in grades 10 and 11 participated, according to Penn State Behrend's event details. The source does not report results, retention figures or planned follow-up programs.

The players

Penn State Behrend

Penn State Behrend is the Erie campus of Pennsylvania State University, a public research university system.

Melanie Ford

Melanie Ford serves as Director of Youth Education Outreach at Penn State Behrend, overseeing programs for young students.

The details

Girls built pipelines from cardboard in the National Fuel Pipeline Challenge to improve gas flow. In the Ball Launcher Challenge, they used only the provided materials to find the right trajectory, learning about STEM careers along the way.

November 13, 2026: Penn State Behrend hosted the engineering event for high school girls.

Season Trajectory

Programs like this one at Penn State Behrend reflect the university's broader youth education outreach, which targets high school students before they choose college majors. Events that pair girls with women already working in engineering are a recognized way to address the gender gap in the field.

Parents and students in Erie and the surrounding area can look to Penn State Behrend's youth programs as a free way to explore engineering before college. The event shows that hands-on STEM activities for high school students are available locally.

The takeaway

Early hands-on experience with engineering challenges can help high school students picture themselves in STEM careers. Students interested in these fields can seek out similar outreach programs at local colleges.