COLUMBUS, OH – The PPG Industries Foundation once again donated $5,000 to the Women in Engineering (WiE) Program at The Ohio State University to support the WiE CHEER (CHEmical Engineering Rocks!) summer day camp for girls about to enter ninth grade. For a second consecutive year, a grant was made on behalf of PPG Industries’ automotive coatings manufacturing facility in Circleville, OH. This year, camp participants will visit PPG’s coatings manufacturing facility in Delaware, OH.

“We are grateful for PPG’s continuing support of the WiE CHEER program,” said Shawna Fletcher, Associate Director of Outreach for The Ohio State University. “Corporations participating in the program offer young women a chance to learn about real-world chemical engineering practices at a crucial point in their educational trajectory, as they are about to start high school. The students also learn about chemical engineering research areas and concepts that back up their observations of practicing chemical engineers.”

The PPG grant helps cover materials and activity costs for the five-day program, which will be held June 18-22 this year. Each morning, WiE CHEER participants leave campus to visit area businesses, where chemical engineers offer glimpses of their careers. This year, one of those businesses will be the PPG coatings manufacturing facility in Delaware, OH. Upon returning to campus each day, the girls engage in hands-on activities that introduce them to chemical engineering concepts, conducting experiments and projects as if they were practicing chemical engineers.

The Women in Engineering Program at The Ohio State University works to increase the number of women earning degrees in engineering. Through partnerships with alumni, corporations, and community and educational organizations, WiE develops innovative and exciting programming to introduce girls and women to the wide variety of careers and opportunities available to engineers. In creating a supportive and inclusive culture, WiE encourages students to reach their full potential as future engineering professionals.