BNSF News

BNSF Foundation Encourages Engineering, Science Education through Kansas State Donation

2010-05-03

A BNSF Foundation gift to Kansas State University will fund events to encourage diverse populations of young people to pursue careers in engineering and science.

The $230,000 gift will establish an outreach partnership between K-State's Women in Engineering and Science Program (WESP) and the BNSF Foundation.

The partnership was celebrated Friday, April 30, during a WESP event at J.C. Harmon High School in Kansas City, Kan. The event included numerous activities conducted by K-State engineering students, as well as a check presentation from the BNSF Foundation.

John Williams, general manager of BNSF's Kansas Division presented the check to John English, dean of the College of Engineering, and Kimberly Douglas-Mankin, director of WESP.

"This is a great opportunity to help Harmon students understand the contributions BNSF's scientists and engineers make to creating a better world, and to illustrate BNSF's commitment to their education," Douglas-Mankin said in a prepared statement.

"The BNSF Foundation has a long history of supporting organizations and projects in higher education and youth development in the communities we serve," Williams said. "This K-State program is dedicated to attracting a more diverse population to the fields of engineering and science. We recognize the future of the economy and of the communities we serve will depend on that, and we are grateful for the opportunity to support a program that will help make that future possible."

"The College of Engineering is very grateful to the BNSF Foundation," English said. "This generous partnership will make it possible for WESP to reach out to hundreds of young people to illustrate the possibilities and rewards in science and engineering careers. We know that many of these young people will pursue those careers through higher education. That is an outcome that benefits all of society."

K-State's Women in Engineering and Science Program was recently recognized as the nation's outstanding women-in-engineering program. The award, from the Women in Engineering Pro-Active Network, was presented in April 2010 at the network's joint conference with the National Association of Multicultural Engineering Program Advocates in Baltimore, Md.

The award is presented annually to one outstanding women-in-engineering program that serves as a model for other institutions. WESP is a collaborative effort between K-State's Colleges of Engineering and Arts and Sciences.

"WESP designs and implements programs that make K-State a better place for women to pursue their interests in science and engineering," Douglas-Mankin said. "Programming is structured around three purposes: promoting awareness, building community and providing support. While programming is designed to benefit female students in engineering and science, many of the programs offered by the WESP office serve all students. The reality is that the things that make K-State better for women scientists and engineers also make K-State better for everyone."

Douglas-Mankin said the Women in Science and Engineering Program creates a wide range of opportunities for students to connect with program participants and others who are passionate about engineering and science.

"It's a pipeline of ways to be involved from grade school through graduate school and beyond," she said. "Individuals can be engaged in ways that are tailored to their needs. Some are involved in many different ways, and others are involved in individual programs. The important thing is that they have opportunities to build relationships and reinforce their excitement for engineering and science."

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