International Conference on Engineering Education August 18--21, 2002, Manchester, U.K.

1 Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rowan University, 201 Mullica Hill Road, Glassboro, New Jersey 08028-1701 Extended Abstract -Rowan University and a number of corporate sponsors and foundations have helped to establish a summer program to introduce middle school girls to engineering careers. The program titled AWE: Attracting Women into Engineering was initiated in the summer of 1999. The target audience is middle school girls from nearby counties. This target audience was selected, as there is evidence of changes in self-esteem of adolescent girls. In their middle school years, girls also show a drop in math and science confidence and achievement.