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Engineers Figure On Adding Women

Future Bright For Them In Profession, Research Head Tells Group At Pitt

giraeering schools has been de- science resources ©I the pres» clining during the past sev- ent and the future offer maneraL years." kind new opportunities, new Mr. Maynard said the choices and new responsibilimore glamorous fields of ties," he declared.. The fact relatively few science space technology, computers and the like have women engineers are emmushroomed, luring poten- ployed in most western countial engineering students tries appears to be more a matter of their nonavailability away. than anything else," he said. The conference closes today. "The boundless engineering-

By RALPH BREM Women will have to engineer their impact on the future by themselves, Harold B. Maynard, president of the Maynard Research Council, told a women's engineering group here. He spoke last night at the Women in Professional Engmeering conference dinner at the University of Pitts- of truth in these and other burgh. negative considerations, but Contrary to popular belief, when did a few difficulties he said, prejudices toward, women engineers are not ^ e v e r s t o P a w o m a n o n c e s h e numerous or deep seated, but \ had made up her mind about women have to be shown what she wanted," he said. how vital and challenging the He said that's why women work can be. in engineering must make the "exciting image of en"They, themselves, must gineering" so challenging formulate the role they will that students "will not be play in the future," Mr. deterred by any real or imMaynard said, "for in the Teen-age boys don't have a agined o b s t a c l e s from last analysis no one can do monopoly on the desire to work reaching their goal." it for them." in the United States' space proMr. Maynard said such re- gram as planners or astronauts. He said that was up to the Thirty of t h e i r feminine women already in engineering cruiting was necessary in this counterparts, who were guests to show the way. Not just country because the Russians yesterday of the National Sothe working engineers, but are telling their young people ciety of Women Engineers, the wives of engineers and what jobs to take and this agreed that repent s p a c e means a lot of Red women women in education. are being sent into engineer- achievements have stirred the imagination and interest of girls He said many young ing. as well as boys. women today have misThus, in the future, as Eyes Space Planningtaken notions about engithey make use of this tal"I think I swould choose the neering, that they will have ent the scales of technologi- planning end of space technolto study unusually long cal advances will tip in the ogy, but the idea of being an and hard, that they will be Russians' favor because of astronaut is an exciting one," "odd balls" if they try to engineering woman power. said Natalie Cordes, 16, of 407 enter a male field and that men will discriminate "Our own statistics are Martin dr., Crown Point, a against them on hiring. most disheartening," he said. senior at Andrean High school, "There is a certain amount "Actually enrollment in en- Gary. The girls, all superior students, were invited to the society's session at the Illinois Institute of Technology to learn about careers for women in engineering. . Natalie said she felt discussion of space engineering was particularly interesting to the young women. "It means the opening of an entirely new field when so many others are filling up today," she. said. One of the major projects of the women e n g i n e e r s is to spread c a r e e r information. They won a disciple in one of yesterday's g u e s t s , who was there almost by accident.

Spate Careers Stir Interest of Girls^Too

Linda Bothwell, 17, of Brecksville, 0., went to the session because her cousin, Carol Bothwell, 15, of 1024 E. 50th' s t , whom she is visiting, was planning to be there and asked her to go along. Plans to Tell Counselor "I didn't realize there are so many new c a r e e r s open to women. I'm going to tell my high school counselor about the job opportunities I've heard about today," said Linda. Carol, who attends the University of Chicago High school, was most interested in learning about the new space age uses of engineering. Mathematics is her special interest and she finds the idea of working in the space program —as a p l a n n e r o r travelerintriguing, she said. Jane Ryan, 16, of 630 McKinley av., Gary, a student at Andrean High school, whose father is a physician, said she found discussion of uses of engineering in medicine particularly interesting. None of the girls said they would hesitate to seek an engineering career because of the predominance of men in the field. "That just makes it more of a challenge," said one.