The Women's Technology Program at MIT was discussed, with a focus on promoting STEM education and encouraging more women to pursue engineering careers. The programs aim to provide hands-on experiences, build confidence, and expose students to various areas of mechanical engineering. Challenges such as securing long-term funding for these initiatives were also addressed.

• Barbara to continue running and expanding the Women's Technology Program at MIT.
• Julia to focus on fundraising efforts for the Women's Technology Program.
• Barbara and team to develop and pilot a 1-week version of the program in Japan.
• Barbara and team to continue efforts to increase diversity and inclusion in the program, especially for underrepresented minorities.
• Barbara to explore partnerships with companies like Raytheon for potential funding.
• MIT to consider providing more direct financial support for the Women's Technology Program.
• Barbara to continue advocating for and expanding hands-on, experiential learning approaches in engineering education.
• Barbara to look into developing programs for younger students (middle school age) to address gender gaps earlier.

In the meeting, Barbara, a violinist and board member of the Lexington Symphony, discussed the symphony's programs and its role in the community. Daniel then shifted the conversation to Barbara's accomplishments at MIT, highlighting her role in increasing the number of women in mechanical engineering. Barbara then spoke about the Women's Technology Program (WTP), an outreach program for high school students that she founded in 2002. The program aims to spark interest in engineering among high school students and provide them with an in-depth experience of what engineering is like. Barbara also discussed the program's features, including experiential active learning, confidence and independence building, and the importance of admitting students who are good in math and science but not already on the path to engineering.

Barbara discussed the hands-on approach of their program, which includes problem-solving and engineering labs. The program is structured with pre-work, group problem-solving, and hands-on activities. The program's goal is to expose students to various areas of mechanical engineering and encourage collaboration. Barbara also mentioned the program's technical threads, which start from math and progress to forces, free body diagrams, and other topics. The program includes building workshops and a capstone project where students design and build a chain reaction machine. Barbara also highlighted the program's impact, with over 74% of alumni going into engineering or computer science, and 83% of them pursuing higher education.

Barbara is a professor at MIT who runs the Women's Technology Program (WTP), a 4-week summer program for high school students interested in engineering. The program aims to expose students to hands-on engineering projects and build their confidence in STEM fields. Students take classes for the first two weeks, followed by a capstone project like building a Rube Goldberg machine. Field trips and guest speakers provide additional enrichment. WTP has had a positive impact on participants, with many pursuing engineering careers. Barbara is working to expand the program globally through shorter 1-week versions that can be implemented in other countries.

The discussion focuses on programs aimed at encouraging more women to pursue STEM fields, particularly engineering. Barbata describes a program at MIT that exposes high school students, especially young women, to engineering through hands-on activities and mentorship. The program has been successful in increasing female enrollment at MIT and other top universities. Barbara highlights the importance of active learning approaches and starting STEM engagement early to counter societal biases that can discourage girls from these fields. The group also discusses challenges like securing funding to sustain such initiatives long-term.