Sweet Briar College Magazine - Spring 2017

Google Visit Highlights Engineers Week, Connection to College
On a day in late February, Sweet Briar’s
engineering community buzzed with activity:
In a classroom in Guion, high school
students created mechanical devices out of
a random array of objects, part of a special
program designed to introduce girls to
engineering concepts. At lunch in Prothro,
engineering majors talked with representatives
from Google about the future of
women in the field. And at a dinner in
the Upchurch Field House, Google’s lead
software engineer, Antoine Picard, spoke
to about 250 people gathered from across
central Virginia for the National Engineers
Week lecture.
“Be passionate about something,” Picard
told the audience. “It doesn’t matter what
topic you pick. You can find someone who
is very passionate about it.”
The visit from Google representatives
comes as the college is building a relationship
with the Silicon Valley company. Like
Sweet Briar, Google is intent on bringing
more diversity to the engineering workforce.
The company plans to provide a
pipeline of internships and training for
Sweet Briar students.
“We have been just delighted that they
see the value of a women’s liberal arts
college that has an engineering program,
and they want us to be stronger,” President
Phillip C. Stone said.
SWEET BRIAR MAGAZINE | SBC.EDU 5