West Virginia Executive Spring 2018 | Page 82

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