Growing up, Gabrielle Rochino noticed that there weren’t a lot of females around her that wanted to go into the engineering field like she did. That isn’t surprising: only about 14% of engineers are female, and there isn’t evidence that this statistic will change any time soon.
That’s why Gabrielle, a mechanical engineering student from New Jersey (and Dassault Systèmes intern) created the “Think Like A Girl: Engineering Kits” subscription service. Acting as the CEO and co-founder, she and two of her fellow students at Rowan University launched a Kickstarter for the campaign last week, aiming to raise $40,000.
The engineering kits are made for girls aged 6 through 12, and aim to teach about a variety of topics and industries in the engineering realm. Rochino said that the kits are “marketed towards girls’ interests and taught using proven methods in which girls learn best.”
The co-founders of the company have done extensive research on the reasons girls are less likely to go into engineering, as well as learning how to best teach them.
Rochino has interned at SOLIDWORKS in Technical Support, Education, and User Experience. She currently has her CSWP and CSWA certifications.
Read the full profile on Gabrielle and her team’s work here.
