Jaclyn Spear didn't hesitate to enter the male-dominated engineering field 34 years ago.

"My mother was an engineer and so was my father. My mother led by example," she said. "My role model sat at the dinner table with me."

However, she said not all girls were exposed to women in math and science fields, so it wasn't a career path they considered. That's why events such as Saturday's annual Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day is so important, she said.

"Where these girls are now, it's an impressionable age. When people talk about engineers, they think about guys," Ms. Spear said. "This shows them that women can go into this field. It's not just a man's field."

The event, held at the University of South Carolina Aiken's Ruth Patrick Science Education Center, connected 30 area middle school girls with female engineers through workshop activities.

The day left a positive impression on Sydney Scaggs, a 13-year-old at Paul Knox Middle School.

"The women engineers are really nice and it's kind of cool to see that they have the same interests we do," she said. "They've shown us that there is a place for females in the engineering field."

Guinyard-Butler Middle School pupil Amber Williamson, 13, enjoyed the activities, especially the opportunity to play with a robotic dog.

"It was neat to see advanced technology like that. I've never seen anything like that before," she said. "It's been a honor to be here and see all this stuff, because not everybody gets a chance to see this every day."

Having women in math and science fields is essential for industry advancement, said Duncan Buell, a professor and the chairman of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of South Carolina.

"I think women have a different approach to tackling problems and how they see things. I don't know if it's nature or nurture, but their input is valuable in these fields," he said. "Since men and women often look at things differently, we need to have both views in the industry."

This was the eighth year for the event. It was sponsored by Washington Savannah River Co. and the CSRA Society of Women Engineers.

Reach Nikasha Dicks at (706) 823-3336 or nikasha.dicks@augustachronicle.com.