Out of about 50 applicants, 24 students were selected to attend the Brown-Forman INSPIRE workshop June 22-July 3 at UofL’s J.B. Speed School of Engineering. INSPIRE (Increasing Student Preparedness and Interest in the Requisites for Engineering) primarily targets minority and female students who traditionally are underrepresented in the profession.
Along with introducing the students to the various fields of engineering and the technology involved in each, INSPIRE helps them to identify career interests and put together personality profiles. Over the years, the program has included field trips to area industries, including General Electric Co.’s Appliance Park, Brown-Forman Corp., Louisville Gas & Electric Co. and Louisville-Jefferson County Metropolitan Sewer District.
This year, participants will tour the GE FirstBuild micro-factory, and the second week of the workshop will focus on robotics and computer programming.
The INSPIRE program will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays in several engineering-related buildings on the Belknap Campus. It is free to the students, who have been recommended by teachers and guidance counselors based on above-average science and mathematics skills.
For more information, contact Heidi Neal, director of student success at the Speed School, at 502-852-0364.