Nonprofit organization VentureWell recently awarded Penn State College of Engineering’s School of Engineering Design, Technology, and Professional Programs’ researchers $24,000 to support and expand an existing extracurricular program in the College of Engineering, Boosting Undergraduate Innovation and Leadership through Design (BUILD).
BUILD is designed to increase and retain in the engineering field the number of women and other traditionally underrepresented students by bolstering engineering confidence through hands-on design activities.
Additionally, the Maker Ambassadors program provides training to women and underrepresented engineering students who plan, promote, lead, and execute the BUILD Nights held at the Bernard M. Gordon Learning Factory.
“This additional support will help the BUILD program reach new audiences,” Jessica Menold, assistant professor of engineering design and mechanical engineering and the principal investigator, said. “Specifically, we are excited to work with faculty and students from the College of Health and Human Development to launch hackathons and BUILD nights that bring together engineering students, nursing students, biobehavioral health students, and many more.”
VentureWell selected the program after a competitive national review process.
In addition to the VentureWell grant, the BUILD initiative also recently received a $20,000 gift from Lockheed Martin to help establish the program.