My Story
From the time I can remember, I have been interested in exploring inventions and ways to fix problems. I loved to build with Legos as a kid and when I got older, I moved to LEGO NXT. It was a kit that my parents got me as a birthday present and by playing around with it, I became fascinated by the possibilities of robotics. One time I built a robotic fish feeder while my family went on vacation. I also created a walking stick for visually impaired with an ultrasonic sensor system that beeped upon detecting obstacles. While these were simple robots, the process of making them was an invaluable learning experience.
For the past two years, I have been volunteering to teach local Girl Scout troops about engineering and robotics principles. I have gained experience with teaching some difficult concepts as well as presenting engineering as an exciting field and viable career for girls. I want to expand this pilot program to reach more girls in the area through being an EngineerGirl Ambassador.
My Project
Empowering Girls in Engineering and Robotics (EGER pronounced “eager”) will hold events for girls in State College and Bellefonte, PA. These events will be free of cost and held online. To effectively teach everyone who comes, the events will be organized by age group in each location (fourth to sixth grade, seventh to eighth grade). This will allow the activities to be interesting and understandable for everyone. Each event will be based around a different branch of engineering, focusing on computer science and robotics.
There will be three components to each event: the first part is centered on learning the fundamentals of the engineering branch. The second part will be the activity, which is hands on and collaborative. It will directly apply the fundamentals that the girls would have learnt. The last component will be career oriented and include a local female engineer as a guest speaker. Students will also get to reflect upon interpersonal skills such as teamwork and communications that are required to accomplish typical engineering projects.
All participating girls will get an EGER certificate. This will also include a QR code that links to a website created to provide more information and resources on these topics. Furthermore, the program will collaborate with Girl Scout troops in Center County through my primary sponsor. Participating Girl Scouts will earn badges for any event that they attend.