Visit marks Women’s History Month
Recently a group of 10 Guilderland High School tenth grade students and Guilderland Central School District Superintendent of Schools Dr. Marie Wiles visited the Watervliet Arsenal as part of an effort to inspire young women to enter careers in design, development, engineering, manufacturing and production.
The visit for the 10 female students, who opted into the field trip — Sonia Chaugule, Hallie Czajka, Nanaadwoa Frimpong, Ashley Kapusinsky, Angelina Mantoo, Violet McCutcheon, Eleanor Smitas, Lila Whipple, Flora Wu and Ishika Yalamanchi — began with a tour of the Watervliet Arsenal manufacturing areas and Benet Laboratories’ science labs, which showcased the many STEM and manufacturing careers available at the arsenal.
The students saw firsthand the various precision manufacturing processes that take place at the arsenal to produce advanced, high-tech weaponry for tank, howitzer and mortar systems. After visiting the manufacturing facility the group toured the research, development and design facility. There they were introduced to the many stages of engineering while hearing from female engineers about their roles and responsibilities. The students learned how engineers collaborate, problem solve and rely on creative thinking to continually innovate and make advancements.
Following the tour, the Guilderland group attended a luncheon and roundtable discussion on STEM and manufacturing careers for female students. Aimed at opening an exchange of experiences, ideas and goals, the discussion featured the experiences of several women in leadership roles at the arsenal. The Guilderland students were asked for their input on how the arsenal can better engage female students. “After seeing everything the arsenal has to offer, it has really interested me in the STEM field,” said GHS sophomore Angelina Mantoo. “I think doing more of these [events] and reaching out to younger students would be great.”
Upon returning to GHS after the field trip, a few students reflected on their experience and its impact on their futures.
“I was inspired by all of the giant machines I had seen; it really made me think about how they contributed to the creation of millions of pieces of equipment,” said Sonia Chaugule. “…in the future I would love to invent more revolutionary machinery! As for this trip, it definitely showed me numerous opportunities in STEM. I was inspired by the women who worked at the base, they shared relatable experiences and good advice for the future. Overall I loved this trip a lot!”
Eleanor Smitas would like to enter the math or science field in the future and found the field trip to be inspirational. “The most interesting thing about the trip was all the components that went into making a weapon. Not only did they make the weapons, they had to test them, design them, and try to make them better and better…I found it interesting to be in the environment of scientists. It was cool to see the real life applications of an engineering degree.”
Nanaadwoa Frimpong has considered entering the space technology side of aerospace engineering and felt the experience solidified her future career path. “This trip showed me the overall process necessary for creating powerful machines,” she said. “I genuinely enjoyed walking through the halls and seeing the various types of technology. Being surrounded by such powerful technology to make something as powerful as a cannon is fascinating. I would love to learn more about this type of work!”
Flora Wu plans on pursuing a career in medicine nevertheless she found the field trip informative. “Being able to see them [STEM jobs] in real life really helped me understand what the different jobs entailed,” Flora said. “The trip did not change my mind, and I still plan on going into the medical field, but the trip did help me confirm that if I ever did change my mind, I would work in the field of STEM.”
A key takeaway from the tour and the discussion was the importance of engaging and encouraging female students at a younger age. Sonia recalled that her interest in STEM began after being inspired by a buoyancy experiment when she attended Lynnwood Elementary School.
Nanaadwoa agreed that the the possibilities for female students like herself are vast. “I think if more girls looked into such opportunities, they would know the amazing capabilities of women and know that they could make a huge impact on the world, just like the machinists at the Arsenal. I hope going on a trip such as this one strengthens women and our place within different workplaces.”