Cash boost will help Society recruit women engineers.

The ExxonMobil Foundation announced that $1 million has been contributed to the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) to help support their career guidance materials and program outreach activities to assist in increasing the number of women in engineering.

This grant brings the company's support of the organization to more than $2 million in the past decade.

According to the Society of Women Engineers, women within the engineering profession are heavily underrepresented compared to their participation in the entire workforce.

While women make up nearly 50% of the U.S. workforce, they account for only 10% of total engineers. And even though the number of women enrolled in engineering degree programs has increased, they still lag behind their male counterparts. Currently, women make up 20% of B.S. engineering degrees awarded annually.

"To significantly increase the number of young women who are interested and prepared to enter the engineering profession requires a long-term focused outreach program that reaches students at an early age and continues through college," said Sherri Stuewer, vice president--safety, health and environment, Exxon Mobil Corporation.

"ExxonMobil is proud to partner with SWE because we believe it has the programs to tackle the misconceptions about engineering and excite young women about a future in engineering."

SWE implements hundreds of national and grassroots level programs each year to introduce girls to the world of engineering and technology, and to provide mentoring and support once they have started their engineering education. The organization also partners teachers and counselors with engineering professionals to integrate engineering concepts into existing curriculum, develop technical curriculum, offer role models for students, and/or confront stereotypes of engineering careers.

"This grant will enable SWE to more effectively leverage both our resources and the efforts of our volunteers and enable us to expand our reach to educators, students and parents," said SWE President Jude Garzolini. "We are confident that through our partnership with the ExxonMobil Foundation, we will have a positive impact on the number of young women pursuing engineering and technology careers."

To help address America's math and science crisis, ExxonMobil is expanding support for programs that focus on improving math and science education. SWE is one of the many organizations with education outreach programs supported by ExxonMobil that focuses on these efforts.

SWE also supports Girls Inc. on their Operation SMART (SM) (Science, Math and Relevant Technology) projects. Operation SMART is a program where resources from all across the community are focused on helping girls wonder and imagine. Girls discover that math, science and technology are everywhere around them: science museums, wastewater treatment plants, grocery stores and whatever is in the backyard.

Girl Scouts is also another example where SWE conducts programs that focus on math and science. SWE members work with girls on math, science and engineering principles through their local programs and inspire young girls to follow in their footsteps.