Fall 2019 – Woodrow Wilson High School

Dallas SWE was ecstatic to hold the 8th annual Design Your World on Saturday, November 2nd, 2019.

In partnership with Dallas ISD and Woodrow Wilson High School, Design Your World (DYW) hosted over 105 children, parents, and educators from our local DFW community. Our participants traveled to our DYW 2019 event from Dallas, Plano, Lewisville, The Colony, Ferris, Denton, Irving, North Richland Hills, and Rockwall. 53 elementary school, 33 middle school, and 13 high school students participated in six STEM activities celebrating fields such as biomedical, electrical engineering, civil engineering, computer science, and aviation.

One high school participant shared her delightful experience with the aviation activity, led by Lieutenant Colonel Cynthia Whisennand: “I learned about how aerodynamics affect planes. It’s something I had never thought about when I took my first plane ride.” Another activity, led by Jennifer Gamboa-Copeland and sponsored by Women of AT&T, taught the participants how to code in C++, a common programming language. When asked what she was learning, one middle school participant proudly shared, “I’m learning that I love coding!”

“I’m a sophomore in high school, but I’ve never gotten to work with robots before. Here, I’m learning that I really love working with robots.” – High school #DYW2019 participant.

Another integral part of DYW is our efforts to connect parents with STEM educators. During DYW 2019, parents were invited to learn from three panels: How to Raise A STEM Girl, Next Steps, and Voices From The Field. Panelists included Judith LaPlante (Computer Scientist, Advanced Computer Science High School Teacher), Morgan Merriman (Chemist, Advanced Chemistry High School Teacher), Dana Barnes (Educator, Director of EMS-ISD Educational Services), and Sadia Saeed (Undergraduate Student, University of North Texas College of Engineering).

“I always fostered science over forcing science on my two girls,” panelist Ivan Zellner. “I did my STEM and programming projects openly at the kitchen table, and my daughters naturally wanted to know what I was working on.”

Dallas SWE thanks Woodrow Wilson HS for celebrating #DYW2019 in addition to their newly-opened $20 million STEM wing. Daniel Garrison, an Engineering Woodrow Wilson HS teacher, thanked Dallas SWE for bringing #DYW2019 to Dallas ISD: “We are excited to share this new space with you and the community. We look forward to a long partnership with Dallas SWE and our corporate sponsors.”

Other activities during the event include a demonstration by the Woodrow Wilson Mechanicats All-Women Robotics Group, a presentation from the Woodrow Wilson HS SWENext group, and a round table social with the Coppell HS SWENext group. “I attended a Design Your World in 8th grade, and it changed my life. Now, I am the Coppell HS SWENext President, and I am present to influence the next generation of engineers at the 2019 DYW,” reflected volunteer, Abigail.