Megan Feazell
By Dannie Oliveaux | dannieoliveaux@theexaminer.com
More than 70 eighth-grade girls from five local middle schools gathered March 26 at Lamar University’s Science and Technology Building for “Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day,” hosted by ExxonMobil in partnership with Lamar University and Beaumont ISD.
The event featured hands-on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) activities designed to inspire students to pursue careers in engineering.
Participating BISD schools included Marshall Middle School, Odom Academy, Vincent Middle School, Pietzsch-MacArthur PreK-8 Center and Smith Middle School.
In addition to hearing from ExxonMobil Beaumont leadership, students were introduced to basic engineering principles through interactive activities such as designing and constructing a catapult, exploring concepts of viscosity and pressure through Oobleck and slime experiments, and learning about electricity by building circuits from modeling clay.
Megan Feazell, ExxonMobil Beaumont Complex technical manager, said she has volunteered at the event for the past two years. She has worked at the Beaumont facility since 2023.
After graduating from Louisiana Tech University, Feazell began her career at ExxonMobil’s plant in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
“I’ve been with the company now 19 years,” she said.
Feazell said ExxonMobil has hosted the event for more than a decade.
“One of our core missions as a company is to promote STEM education and attract future engineers and problem-solvers,” she said. “We’re able to do that through this partnership with Beaumont ISD and Lamar University.”
Feazell said organizers aim to make activities as hands-on and interactive as possible.
“Our mission isn’t to grow the event, but to provide a high-quality experience for the girls and the community,” she said.
She said the catapult activity relates to mechanical engineering and motion, slime demonstrates principles of chemical engineering, and modeling-clay circuits introduce electrical engineering concepts.
“It really exposes them to a broad range of fields,” she said.
Feazell said that when she graduated from high school, she did not know what career she wanted to pursue.
“We tell them that’s OK,” she said. “Hopefully they find a spark at some point during the day and discover something they enjoy. It’s about believing in themselves and exploring their interests, and the possibility of solving tough challenges in the future.”
