Dr. Thole featured on White House Blog

Dr. Thole was recently featured on the White House Blog with her contribution entitled:  "Building a Diverse Community of Engineers to Face Tomorrow's Engineering Challenges". 

Department Head of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, Dr. Thole

In her entry, Dr. Thole remarks on the need for diversity in Engineering. She highlights the work of the Engineering Ambassadors to show middle and high school students the importance and excitement of being an engineer. The Engineering Ambassadors use marketing lessons from "Changing the Conversation"developed by the National Academy of Engineers. In addition, she references other groups that strive for a more diverse enrollment in engineering.


Check out the Dr. Thole's entire Blog Post here!

President Obama honors Dr. Thole as "Champion of Change"

Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering's Dr. Thole was honored by President Obama for her work in recruiting and retaining women in the fields of science and engineering. 

"These 'Champions of Change' are community heroes, helping to build the ranks of women in the nation's STEM workforce and ensuring that America's science and engineering enterprise is fueled by the diverse talents of all its citizens," said John Holdren, assistant to the president for science and technology and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Check out Dr. Thole's panel discussion about the Engineering Ambassadors!

Click here to read more from Penn State Live!

Engineering Ambassadors featured in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Engineering Ambassadors visited North Allegheny's Baierl Center to show middle school students another side of science and engineering, the FUN side. Students used conductive Play-Doh to make circuits and found innovative ways to cleanup a mock oil spill. Another group of students set a record by sending a marble safely down a five-looped roller coaster created from foam tubing halves.

Students work with an EA to problem solve the
best ways to clean up a mock oil spill.

Click here for the full story at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette