02/17/18: WE HAVE MERGED! The Shadow Program has merged into a new program called Women In Engineering Day (WIED), through which juniors in high school and accepted seniors in high school can ‘shadow’ for a day. They attend a welcome reception, a women engineering faculty panel, a women engineering student panel, and 2 classes/labs. More information can be found on the URI Welcome Days webpage or by contacting the URI Society of Women Engineers chapter.

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High schools have been encouraging more students to pursue STEM fields such as engineering.  As a direct result, more women are considering STEM fields.  The interest is clearly there, and there is a need for more women role models to encourage them to follow through in pursuing a career in STEM.  It is important for students entering engineering to experience what it’s like first-hand to be an engineering student.  The Shadow Program aims to make the transition smoother for girls entering a male-dominated field.

The Shadow Program is designed to give high school girls a chance to experience what it would be like to be an engineering student at the University of Rhode Island.  It is a wonderful opportunity for them to get to know the university and the resources and opportunities available to them as women.  They will have the chance to interact with current women engineering students, visit classrooms and labs, dining halls and resident halls, and meet other engineering students and student prospectives.

The program also gives current women engineering students the chance to use their unique experience to the benefit of the engineering and URI community.  Through the program, they can become mentors and build their leadership experience and knowledge of on-campus resources and opportunities.  Women interested in encouraging girls to pursue STEM can make a difference by getting involved in this program.