My Story
Last fall, I worked with my sponsor and another student to offer an after school robotics program to middle school students from the local area. The program was a success and well regarded, but there was one glaring issue: all eight of the middle school participants were boys. Unfortunately, this appears to be common. According to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, though the number is growing, women continue to be underrepresented in engineering. Only 14% of engineers and about 20% of engineering students are female. I have experienced this disparity firsthand as the only female on Vermont Academy’s Robotics Team last year. I plan to use our after school experience and research into why this gap might exist to shape a weeklong half-day summer program that is more attractive to girls.
My Project
We will offer a week-long summer “design camp” for ten middle school girls in rural Vermont. The sessions will be collaborative and creative, focused on how engineering helps solve real world problems. We will partner with a science museum and arts organization to expand programming and highlight diverse career opportunities. The free program will be open to ten middle school girls (grades 6-8), and we will use our relationships with Bellows Falls Middle School and Main Street Arts to market the program to this group.
Update
Lauren graduated from high school in 2020 and is attending Worcester Polytechnic Institute, where she plans double major in environmental engineering and global studies.