West Virginia Girl Day Empowers Girls
to Discover STEM Careers
and formulate solutions benefits children in and out of the
classroom.”
Pierpont Community & Technical College in partnership
with BridgeValley Community & Technical College recently
invited young women from North Central West Virginia to
discover a variety of career possibilities in the technology and
engineering fields. Eighth grade girls from the region partici-
pated in hands-on experiments that explored the fundamentals
of physics, chemistry and other scientific principles essential
to engineering.
“West Virginia needs more scientists, technicians and engi-
neers to move our state forward,” says Martina Bachlechner,
physics and STREAM coordinator at Pierpont. “These types
of events are designed to get young people excited about the
limitless opportunities in these areas and to discredit the
misconception that engineering and related occupations are
male-dominated fields.”
Pierpont welcomed young ladies from Notre Dame, East
Fairmont, Greenbank and Doddridge County middle schools
to West Virginia Girl Day, which increases student awareness
of STEM professions and celebrates the past and present en-
gineering achievements of women. The aim is to let young
ladies know about their vast options in STEM careers and to
provide them with the knowledge to start laying a foundation
for reaching those goals now.
“Engineering and science are great activities for students
of all ages because they teach critical thinking skills,” says
Melissa Thompson, civil engineer and professor at Bridge-
Valley. “The ability to assess a problem, identify obstacles
Pickering Associates Awarded
Engineering Company of the Year
Pickering Associates was recently named Engineering
Company of the Year at the 2018 Northeast Oil & Gas
Awards in Pittsburgh. The local architecture, engineering
and surveying company was represented by company lead-
ership and clients who graciously accepted the award for the
third year in a row.
This year’s winners for the sixth annual Northeast Oil &
Gas Awards were announced at the industry summit and gala
dinner on March 1, recognizing companies for their commit-
ment to the key areas of health and safety, operational exce l-
lence, innovation, corporate social responsibility and environ-
mental stewardship.
“It’s a great honor to be chosen for this prestigious award,”
says Mark Welch, PE, Pickering’s civil and structural engineer-
ing manager. “It’s exciting to know our hard work, dedication
to our clients and the high quality of our designs continue to
be recognized as the best in the region.”
Pickering Associates has completed almost 200 projects
within the oil and gas industry within the past nine years with
a broad spectrum of experience with multiple drilling compa-
nies developing sites throughout Ohio and West Virginia. From
initial selection, site access, topographical and boundary sur-
veying, impoundments and equipment location to pipe rout-
ing, sediment and erosion control methods and environmental
The Future
of Healthcare
in their HANDS.
TheFoundationWV.com
80
WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE
thomashealthfoundationwv