On April 17, 2025, Nitsch Engineering hosted our 23rd annual Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day to help show 6th – 12th grade girls why engineering is a great career. This year, our team of volunteers built a program around the theme of Transforming Communities Through Land Development; the event was hosted at Nutter’s office in the Seaport.
The day kicked off with an icebreaker activity in which the girls met a variety of different types of engineers and planners – as well as engineers playing landscape architects, architects, and community members – to learn about different perspectives on site design for land development. Girls interviewed these professionals about what the most important things to consider when developing a site from their perspective.
Jennifer Johnson, PE, CFM, LEED AP, President & CEO then welcomed the girls to the event and introduced the girls to the field of engineering, and Amy Prange, PE, Vice President at WS Development shared her story about how working as a civil engineer (at Nitsch Engineering!) positioned her for success as a commercial real estate developer who helped lead the development of the Seaport.
The girls then had the opportunity to design their own sites: girls worked in teams to create a site plan that would redevelop a parcel of land in the Seaport. They began by learning about how public engagement and community involvement are critical to creating a site that meets the needs of both the community and the developer, designing a site that would support a community center and recreation space (including transportation access and utility connections), and expanding the design to address urban heat island impacts.
While the girls were designing their sites, adult chaperones were taken to a separate room to hear about how to support interest in STEM activities and the college admissions process from admissions counselors from Wentworth Institute of Technology.
The day wrapped up with a panel discussion, moderated by Brooke DePascale, PE, Structural Engineer, on being a woman in engineering. The panel included Alexa Brennan, PE, Project Engineer in our civil engineering team; Catie Coumounduros, EIT, Project Designer in our civil engineering team; and Rachel Graham, Senior Transportation Designer.
Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day would not be possible without the help of so many! In addition to those already noted above, thank you to Madeline Augustine, Lisa Brothers, Michelle Callahan, Chelsea Christenson, Allison Evans, Marc Gabriel, Chanel Jackson, Kelsey Kern, Mengyao Li, Anna Luciano, Kate McSwain, Kim Miller, Marley Peterson, Kathryn Piasecki, Addie Turner, and Piera Varela.
